


Reports and Repertoire

by boogiewrites



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alien Sex, Crime Fighting, Does it count as polyamory if one is an alien?, Eddie Brock Loves Venom Symbiote, Eventual Sex, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Good Boyfriend Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Journalism, Partners to Lovers, Pre and Post Venom, Sex, Sex with two humans and an alien is a three way?, Smut, Top Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Venom Symbiote Loves Eddie Brock, partners to friends, symbrock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:59:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 89,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16310006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boogiewrites/pseuds/boogiewrites
Summary: In the dark, down period of the six months after Eddie is fired, dumped and blacklisted, he comes across a lesser known journalist and reaches out in hopes of finding some work to focus on. He finds Candace Miller, an ambitious and kind import to San Francisco from the mid-west who wants to help people and be taken seriously.With their many similarities in their work, they find themselves very compatible with her level-headedness and his inclination to admire a strong woman. They join forces to help the oppressed peoples of the city. This means long hours together, stakeouts and danger. With danger comes adrenaline, and add riding high on victory, who knows what this loser experiencing a win after a long drought will do?The sudden appearance of the symbiote Venom makes the growing bond between Candy and Eddie even more complicated to navigate. How will Eddie deal with the possibility of moving on from Anne and juggling a new relationship with a being like Venom? Eddie has to figure out if he wants to let his new love interest know about his other half or not. How will Candace react to finding out the truth about this new Eddie Brock?





	1. Introductions

In the middle of a messy apartment that had lonely, unemployed bachelor written all over it stood Eddie Brock. His forehead on the kitchen island, head planted hard enough to feel like he was punishing himself after hours of failed attempts to call and text any of his contacts to find work. His hand gripped around his phone that was running hot from overuse and stuck to his ear the entire afternoon buzzes and he's hit with a glimmer of hope.

No, just another reminder his phone bill was due. As if he could forget. He sighs and runs his hands through his messy hair that's gotten almost too shaggy in his neglect of himself during this downward spiral he found himself in after getting blacklisted. He sees the pile of overdue bills, the old containers of Chinese takeout and groans in self-pity. Maybe he should just call it a day. The growing ache in his neck and shoulders from stress would turn into a full headache soon and he was low on painkillers from too many mornings waking up hung over.

He plops down on the recently fabreezed sofa, a tiny attempt to make him feel like he had his shit together in the slightest. He almost sneezes at the fake floral smell, rubbing his nose as he grabs the remote to flick mindlessly through documentaries on Netflix, a friend still not having changed their password for their subscription and he's thankful. He's hoping to find some sort of inspiration, but his bad mood only increases as he sees all the things he could've done and hasn't. He stops paying attention, flipping open his laptop on the coffee table in front of him, hunched over and elbows on his knees, one finger haphazardly browsing social media. He's found himself floating in the buzz of cheap liquor again by this late into the night, something he did far too often and felt bad for the next morning, in more ways than just physical. He knew better but that hadn't stopped him from fucking up everything for himself had it?

He finds himself on YouTube, finding the related videos from his own he'd posted and down into a rabbit hole of investigative pieces he went. He finds himself clicking through on a series called Miller on the Webb. The reference makes him smile, and that was a rare thing these last few months.

"I'm Candace Miller, and today I'm going to tell you about the mysterious disappearances of many homeless women in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco." she says, her head moving enough to show she was confident, but not too much to show she was an amateur. Her accent wasn't from California, and he couldn't quite place it. She had the habit of tucking her brown hair behind her ears when she'd lean forward and comfort victims, a tell of some sort he figured. What really held his attention was the spark he recognized in her eyes when she'd interview someone in the position of the oppressor in a formal setting. Her brow low and steady, voice deeper and calm as her eyes burned into them with wordless accusations. He missed that feeling.

He finds himself immersed. This girl, well, the woman was thorough, well-read and charismatic without being pandering. From the video of interviews and footage, he could tell she was serious, asking ballsy questions and being sympathetic when needed. He finds himself clicking through video after video, following her social media and finding she seemed to work for a local paper but all he found were fluff pieces which he found a total waste of her talent. He sees she works on her hard-hitting pieces alone, her name her only credit on each video and post save a varying camera operator role.

He lays in bed with his phone, frowning and looking at the message he's typed and not sent yet to this reporter Candace. Sure, sending a DM at well past midnight in the middle of the week wasn't exactly his style. But at this point, he didn't really have anything to lose. He introduces himself, tells her he likes her work and wondered if she was open to collaborating on something. He deletes and edits and groans at each rewrite, each seeming more fabricated than the last. He wasn't used to asking for things, asking for help and he thought he was coming off too whiny, but it could just be a personal opinion clouding his judgment. He starts to nod off with the phone in his hand and he grunts and finally just hits send. The bloop of the message going through sounds and there's no taking it back now. He yawns and pushes the phone away from him, face down on the bed before he pulls the cover over his torso and rolls over to fall asleep.  
\----------------------------------  
The alarm blares early. A groan and a mad swatting at the bed to find her phone in the pile of notebooks and opened and tabbed book pages she'd fallen asleep in again. With a heavy sigh, she sits up, closing and placing the books back on the large shelf by her bed that serves as a room divider for her small studio apartment. Stretching, she pulls back one side of the curtain to be greeted with a foggy and gloomy morning outside, not that she minded this sort of weather.

Her feet slid into soft fuzzy slippers, padding their way across the old wooden floorboards to the small bar and kitchen past her couch and television on the opposite side of the apartment from her bed. She switches on the coffee pot and goes to the bathroom while it brews. Now feeling more awake she sips from her San Francisco tourism mug and moves to unplug her phone. Pacing the long uninterrupted strip of the floor she flicks past the notification screen and goes to her texts. She answers follow-ups from interviews, discusses deadlines and confirms appointments before moving onto her friend's texts that she's sure are just meme's they've come across overnight after she fell asleep researching.

She switches on her morning playlist, her upbeat pop rock and genre mash-ups she can bob her head to while she gets dressed and does her hair and makeup. Pulling out her waterproof jacket and slipping it over her clothes she laces up her boots, throws her heavy cross body bag over her head, grabs her thermos of coffee and heads out the door.

As she sits on the bus, headphones in and listening to nothing, eyes hard on the screen as she checks the less important messages on her commute. Youtube, new comments and subscribers and more content from her peers. Facebook, same outdated shit, only has it because her family back home in Kansas has it as a means to talk to her. On Tumblr looks like her favorite show got another season, she gives a supportive nod and reblogs the news. Twitter, too early and too angry, her messages are all spam and gross men. She should've known better to have expected anything but inappropriate propositions when she wore a swimsuit in a video. It was on a beach in the summer, the pervs.

So she goes to Instagram. A few likes, a few emoji comments, the usual. By now she's made her way into the office of the paper she works at. She nods and waves, stowing away her phone until she settles into her desk in the bullpen. Check the work email, blah blah blah yes I'll do it, no I won't, not interested, thanks, got the memo...it all blurs together on a Friday. A good thing about working in news is that no one will give you any hell over looking at your phone at work, so once she's got a refill, opened up a document she's been staring at about someone trying to bake the world's biggest cookie, she goes back to the app.

Scroll, scroll, sigh. After the shit show that was her twitter DM's she reluctantly opens the ones on here. Meme, meme, perv, dick pic. Her eyes go wide and she stops mid-sip, spluttering out coffee onto her desk. She quickly tries to recover her composure, cleaning up and her thumb hovering over the username she knew all too well.

"There's no way." she whispers to herself.

There's no mistaking a username like eddiebrockreport when she'd looked it hundreds of times over the years. Was Eddie fucking Brock really messaging her? She looks at message teaser, a friendly hello and she could almost hear his voice say it in her head. The man she'd watched, who she'd admired from afar for his tenacity in his work was really messaging her. He knew she existed at all? Sure she'd gotten some footing YouTube recently, a surge of subscribers with her work on the disenfranchised in the current political climate, but Eddie Brock? After having to move from her childhood home of Kansas, his work in San Fransico had been a factor in her choosing to live here. Not that she was a stalker or anything...he just made the city look so ripe with things to explore she couldn't help herself.

So she darts her eyes around the room as if anyone cares about a DM she got on her phone. She sinks into her chair slightly, finally tapping the text and she feels her pulse quicken.

"Hey, Candace. Found your stories on YouTube, they're great. You've done some solid work, seems you've brought forth some real changes in the city. I'm reaching out to see if you were currently working on anything that you might need someone else's help on? I'm looking to take up some new direction, and I like the direction you're going in. Would you be interested in working on something together?"

"Holy shit." she snorts, a goofy smile on her face as she scans the room again, holding the phone to her chest. Her thumbs work fast to go to her text messages. "You up yet?" she sends to her friend Stephanie. She receives a keyboard smash in response so she must've just woken her up.

"Can you meet me for lunch? You aren't gonna fucking believe what happened."

"Good?" a pause, "Or bad?"

"dsggjahkj FUCKING GREAT!"

"Then I guess I'll be there won't I?" she could hear her dry tone in her head as she read the words.  
\----  
"BITCH!" Candace hisses as she comes up behind Steph and her messy bun, sliding into the other side of the booth with big eyes and an exaggerated smile on her face.

"What'd you get laid or something? You haven't smiled that big since you found an apartment you could afford on your own." she snorts and takes a drink of coffee, sliding a wrapped BLT across the table to you.

"Nah." she shakes her head fast, eagerly unwrapping the sandwich. "But honestly I'd rather have this happen any day." she says with a deep swing of her voice. Sliding the phone with the open DM on it across the table to Steph she lowers her chin and looks at her with raised brows. "Check this shit out."

Steph looks unimpressed as is her default, she sucks her teeth and picks up the phone. Candace watches her friends face shift from indifference to complete surprise. "Fuck me." she says as she starts to laugh. "This real?" she thinks out loud. "Nah, that's really him. Holy shit dude." she says with a smirk. She pretends to type, "Hey Eddie, we can do anything you want together. Lemme jump on that dick and we'll-"

She laughs loudly as Candace swipes the phone from her hand, chewing a mouthful of food. "Quit with that shit. I'd die. I'll literally stroke out and die in this deli if you did that to me."

"Duh. I know. That's why I said it." she smirks and goes back to her hummus.

"I have no intentions on jumping on his dick. I can't be THAT girl." her voice more serious, lips in a tight line.

"You are ever the picture of professionalism." she says with an air of superiority.

"Also this is not a, hey girl you up? Kinda message. He talked about my work so I doubt it's like that."

"I can't help but not miss that slight hint of disappointment in your voice Candy." she grins, tilting her head.

"What? You want me to say he's not fine?" she shoots her a look. "Bitch, c'mon, you have eyes."

Steph nods in response. "He is hot. I'll give him that."

"Plus isn't he with some big shot lawyer or something?" her eyes narrow slightly in thought.

"I wonder if she knows he's messaging girls in the middle of the night? Miss lawyer lady might not like Brock slidin' into those DM's."

"Middle of the night?" her brow lowers, looking back to the phone.

"Yeah, look at the time stamp."

"Well shit, 2:37 AM." she sits the phone on the table, picking up her sandwich again. "Don't miss anything do you?"

"Nope." she grins. "That's why I thought he might've been jerkin' it to that video of you interviewing surfers about the beach pollution."

"Oh shut up." she scolds, rolling her eyes.

"So...what are you gonna say?"

"I actually do have something I could use some backup muscle on." she chews on her lip, staring at the phone.

"That thicc beefcake could help you out I'm sure." she chuckles.

Candace lets out a low dumb chuckle that tells her friend she agrees. "He's not posted in a while, I don't know if he'd be into getting his hands dirty." she shrugs.

"Only one way to find out." she replies rather optimistically.

"Should I message him back now? Or play it cool?" she says with a faux bravado, moving her hand in a straight line to emphasize her words.

"Well don't do that around him for starters." she shakes her head, chomping on another pita chip.

"It's work so punctuality is important, but he sent it at such a weird time it doesn't give much room for formality from the start. I don't want to look desperate, too eager ya know." she chews her thumb nail.

"You've been out of the game too long babe," Steph said with a sigh. "Your neurosis is complementary to your work but not in the modern world of social interactions." she wipes her hand off on her jeans, "Lemme see it again." she takes the phone from her.

"Okay...." she lets out a long sigh, clasping her hands under her chin. "I want to work with him, but I don't want to blurt out what I'm working on so he can take it and run. I'm sure he has a ton more resources than I do. The last thing I need is some hot shot coming in and taking away my story." she says already sounding defensive.

"You've got receipts now, if he does, just out him." she shrugs, picking at her teeth. "You're overthinking it. As always." she gives her a sympathetic glance.

"Not everybody can not give a shit to the extent you do."

"It's a gift." she nods, brow furrowing at the screen. "Okay so start simple, hey Eddie." her thumbs start tapping away at the screen.

"Thanks for the kind words." Candace interjects.

"Yeah that's something you'd say." she nods, voice only the slightest judgemental.

"No. Thanks for reaching out and for the kind words about my work. Means a lot coming from someone like you."

Stephanie's eyes slowly move up to her friends, then she hands the phone over. "Sounds like you've improved since the last time we did this." she smirks.

"Thanks. I try." she huffs out and stares at the phone, murmuring the words already sent. "I'm not sure what sort of work you're interested in doing right now, but I do have a few things going on that some extra input would be helpful on." she shrugs and looks across the table for emotional support.

"You're doing great sweetie." Steph grins.

"Uh...if you're interested in some field work, I have a case that might...appeal to your.... sense of justice? No. A case that caught my attention for its possibilty to help out a lot of disenfranchised people in the city." she nods and takes a moment to think. "I can send you details if you'd like. Interested?" her voice inflects upwards with the words.

"Such a saint." Steph hums.

"Shut up."

"No, I mean it. I'd be too busy trying to be suggestive to do any real good. But look at you go." she says with a sly smile.

"Well, I care about my work."

"I know. It's cute. Always catches me off guard when people care about things nowadays. It's nice. It's rare...like a dude who's honest about what six inches means." she waves her hand dismissively.

Candace rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Hey, Eddie. Thanks for reaching out and for the kind words. Means a lot coming from someone like you. I'm not sure what sort of work you're interested in doing right now, but I do have a few things going on that some extra input would be helpful on. If you're interested in some field work, I have a case that caught my attention for its possibilty to help out a lot of disenfranchised people in the city. I can send you details if you'd like. Interested?" a stern nod and another glance across the table.

"Shakespearean," she says dramatically. "Nah, that's good. Good word usage, professional but casual, sweet but to the point."

"Thanks." she takes a deep breath, blowing a raspberry out with her lips. "And sent."  
\-------------  
He misses when Friday's used to mean something. Now it's just another day. It meant a special on nachos at the bar he called his local, that was about the only thing changing in his life right now. He's in a t-shirt and boxers, a bowl of cereal resting on his stomach as he watches the news. It was an old habit that was hard to break. The buzz of his phone interrupts his train of thought, catching him off guard. With a sigh he reluctantly picks it up, no real hope that it would be any good news.

"Hey," he says softly, a smile slowly reaching his lips, seeing the screenname of cmiller415 pop up in its little notification square. "Alright." he mumbles to himself, setting the cereal on his coffee table and taking the phone into both hands.

He reads the polite response, feeling the slightest bit of relief that it seemed that there was someone out there left that didn't hate him. He has a half smile at the words that thank him and tell him he's still of any importance. He'd thought she had kind eyes, and it seems he might be right.

"Yeah, I'd be interested. Been too long since I've gotten out and gotten my hands dirty. What do you have going on?" he reads what he's typed out loud, he's more confident in the light of day and after the first response than he was the night before.

He sits the phone down and waits.  
\--------  
"That was fast." Stephanie chuckles as she stands outside the deli with an excitable Candace.

"Okay. Okay, I'm gonna be working with Eddie Brock. This is.... fuck yeah." she gives a little triumphant pump of her fist and Steph laughs at her.

"Such a dork." she shakes her head, looking at the phone that she was leaning in to show her.

"I don't really want to talk about it over the phone. I don't think it'd be too forward to say I wanna meet up." her voice makes it sound like a question.

"Don't want the feds reading your DM's?" Steph swings her eyes over to her friend's face, deep in thought.

"Yeah, I don't want there to be any trail that can be used against me. He's a journalist, he'll understand." she says as her thumbs get busy to typing away again.  
\--------  
"In the interest of secrecy I'd rather discuss it in person if that's okay with you." he shrugs and nods to no one else but himself.

"Understandable." he says in defense of the request. He brushes off his social skills and puts his thumbs to work.  
\--------  
"That's fine with me. I get it. Discretion is key. When's good for you? My schedule's pretty clear evenings." Candace nods, now alone on the bus with only her own intuition to guide her, but it was telling her this was going just fine.  
\------  
"Not that I'm in a rush but, it's Friday and my night is clear. If it's not too last minute we can meet up somewhere and discuss it? If not Sunday I'm free all day." She looks out the bus window, eyes not focusing on anything in particular as she hopes it doesn't come off too eager. But it was the truth, and that's what she liked to work with in her personal and professional life.  
\------  
"Looks like you are a real journalist, Friday night's free huh? Yeah, same here. lol You're the one doing me a favor so time and place are up to you." he didn't know Candace, so he foregoes the decision making and lets her take the lead. That's what he tended to do with girls in his personal life too.  
\---------  
"Yeah, somehow I knew you'd understand, haha. How about 7? It'll be right after work and I'll be hungry so is it cool if we grab something to eat? There's a pizza place I like in Tenderloin. My numbers 415-5555. I'll send you the address if you're down with pizza and beer." Having to go home and scarf something down before a meeting that would make her nervous wasn't how she wanted to go about this. She hoped her suggestion was general enough that he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

The phone lights up again, this was going exceptionally well. A man that didn't leave her hanging. What a relief. It's a text from him, and she now had Eddie Brock's phone number.

"Hey, it's Eddie. Never ate there but can't go wrong with pizza and beer. 7's great, I'll be there. If you need me, feel free to text me."

He was polite and charismatic even through text. She hoped she wouldn't get caught up in the feeling of fangirling over him when meeting him for the first time. She hoped her hands wouldn't get clammy when she shook his and that she wouldn't go all pie-eyed when she heard that accent of his in person.

She sends him the address. "I've been here before, not expensive, we can sit outside and have some privacy. And same, if you need me just text. See you at 7."

Sitting at her desk with a smile on her face that won't go away she bites her lip in thought. She was going to be working with Eddie Brock she squeals on the inside. She was going to be meeting Eddie Brock for pizza and beer on a Friday night to discuss a story. This sure wasn't how she thought her day would be going when she'd woken up this morning.


	2. Face to Face and Place to Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Candace meet face to face. Agreeing to work together, they find themselves falling into an easy back and forth with each other given their similarities in morals and interests. This chapter follows the beginning stages of their relationship, figuring each other out and working together. A clear chemistry builds between them, and neither put very much thought into where it will go. Not yet anyway.

It's only a few minutes until her office hours are over. Candace is in the ladies bathroom with the best lighting, touching up her hair and makeup before catching an uber to a part of town she's familiar with. She volunteered at a homeless shelter in the area, a particular cause she'd felt drawn to once she moved to San Francisco. She'd taken people to eat on more than a few occasions, some frequenters of the shelter becoming friends, some acting as extra eyes and ears for her in the city.

What she'd been working on, and what she would be sharing with Eddie in about an hour was about these people. She straightens her white v-neck t-shirt over her fitted jeans. Boots to guard against the off and on all day rain are now resting under rolled-up hems of her pants, the slightly heeled black faux-suede looking a bit more put together this way. Digging through her purse she finds some lipstick and a necklace that she adds to the outfit. Her medium brown hair is in loose waves, luckily it was cooperating with the weather today and not frizzing completely. Her hip length, lightweight army green jacket with its many pockets and hood rests on the dark speckled bathroom sink counter as she tries to spruce herself up a bit. She didn't look fancy, but this didn't call for that. She looked...yeah she looked normal she concluded with an approving nod, letting her arms fall heavy to her sides as she rolls her eyes with getting caught up on how she looks. 'But you know he'll look good.' her inner voice says as she raises her eyebrows to herself in the mirror as to scold the thought. She looked good, she looked like she was grabbing some casual meal with a friend, and except for the friend part, which she hoped would change eventually, she was hitting the mark for what was needed. 

She adjusts the grey faux leather crossbody bag on her shoulder as she stands fifteen minutes early in front of the pizza place. Her finger picks at the large press button on the front flap on her bag before she pulls her phone out of her pocket. She watches the mixed bag of locals, being too far inland for tourists in this part of town. There was a breeze as usual, the rain had cleared for now, the cracked concrete still damp. 

"I'm here. I don't think he'll try to murder me so...just letting you know." she sends to Steph.

"If you go missing I'll know who to blame. Have fun. ;) " Candace smirks rolls her eyes, putting her phone back into her pocket. After growing tired of standing in the constant flow of people on the street, she decides to go in and get a table outside before the rush comes. If she waited too long, they'd be stuck inside where it was too hot and loud, she could watch for him from the covered patio. 

Getting a small two-seater table on the edge of the awning she scrolls through her phone to recall details of what she'd been working on. The white noise of the city is disrupted by the rumbling of a motorcycle coming to a stop down the street. Her fingers that had been absentmindedly tapping her chin pause as she watches the man remove his helmet, revealing a handsome, familiar face. She figures if she's going to oogle, now would be the time to as she takes in the tightness in the thighs of his dark jeans, the neutral colored sneakers that complimented a dark t-shirt underneath a black leather moto jacket. 

He ruffled the longer hair at the top of his head as he puts the helmet in the saddle bag of the bike. He adjusts the collar of the jacket, giving it a fluff before thumbing his nose and with a distinctly masculine, shoulder swaying saunter, he crosses the street. As he gets closer she puts her phone face down on the glass table top, instead of its usual place of the pocket of her coat that hung over the back of the chair, as it would be needed it to show him photos and give him names and addresses. He looks a little tired, a little shabby, but it still works with the whole vibe after coming in on a motorcycle. He looked more like a bad boy with a devil may care attitude than the journalist she'd watched that passionately defended the rights of others. As soon as his feet hit the curb her body reacts and stands and he looks around, it only takes him a moment to recognize her from her pictures and he's thankful she seems just as personable and dare he think even prettier in person. He gives a head tilt and a questions glance of 'that you?' much like a puppy, a pointed finger accompanying the expression. 

Her appearance puts him at ease, he'd worried about a t-shirt and jeans coming off as this not being important to him but when he saw the same combination on her, although wearing it in a much more flattering, feminine way, he hides his exhale of relief as he approaches. With his hands still in his pockets, he nods and mutters 'excuse me' to people on the street as he's beckoned by her wave to him. His manners do not go unnoticed by Candace's watchful eye.

So she stands, two feet away from Eddie Brock. Inside her, a part of her was squealing with delight. He was just as attractive as he looked on the screen, well, actually more so once he opened his mouth. Instead of the more articulate and annunciated, projected masculine tone, she was used to hearing from him, his voice was quiet and raspy, a twitch of his lip and a slight stutter shows his uncertainty as he says her name. 

"Hey, uh-Candace. Hi." he says with a nod of his head. 

Her hand extends to meet his, a slight squeeze to test the waters between the two of them, she notices he wears rings, notes the typical finger an engagement ring would be on to be bare and she wonders how she never noticed the jewelry before on camera.

"Hey Eddie," she says in a sweet, smooth voice. Her voice was softer in person, a small hint of a smile stayed on her face as their hands shook before she motions to the chair across the table from her. "Thanks for meeting me on such short notice."

"Nah, don't mention it. Thank you for meeting me. You're the one helpin' me out." he says with a half smile and a much heavier New York accent. 

"You've exposed serial killers and I write pieces on local bakeries trying to make the world's biggest cookie I think I'm the one indebted to you." she says with a full smile, a chuckle that shakes her shoulders slightly, the long silver necklace with a tiny looking glass pendant shakes and shifts over her chest. 

"Ehh." he says dismissively in a dragging way. Before he can compliment her work, both trying to feel each other out. the waiter brings the menus.  
"Oh, thank you." he says in a genuine way, making eye contact and nodding in acknowledgment to the woman. He'd passed the first test, being nice to the staff. Look's like Eddie Brock acting like a dick wouldn't be a problem she'd have to navigate. 

"You wanna split a pizza?" she asks casually, eyes on the menu. 

"Yeah, sure." he shrugs, his head nodding in a show of cooperation. 

"The Margherita is good. Classic. Can't really go wrong with it." her finger taps the menu and she purses her lips.

"Sounds good." he says, looking back up at her, watching her face. 

"But the real question I suppose is where do you stand on pineapple on pizza?" she subdues a smile as he realizes she's making comedic banter to clear the air.

"Oh, I don't care either way. Pineapple's good, pizza's good, who cares?" he says with a purse of his lips.

"A lot of people. Surprisingly." she shuts the menu and he sees her shoulders relax. "Perhaps we should do a report on the oppression of fruit on pizza. Get to the bottom of that conspiracy." her brows are high and her face is warm and friendly and it eases any jitters that were left. 

"Gotta be careful. Who knows which fruit is behind the takedown of pineapple. Don't wanna end up messin' with "big cherry" or somethin', they're nasty people." he grins and they both share a laugh. 

With the tension broken they both fall into an easy back and forth. After ordering they cover the basics, talk about beer, about the city and each other. As the steaming pizza is placed on the pedestal in the middle of the table, he decides to start to talk shop after as they mumble with mouthfuls about how they made a good decision. 

"So I've noticed you have a lot of pieces about the homeless population in the city." he says as she finishes taking an indulgent bite of gooey cheese. 

A muffled "Mmm Hmm." before she swallows and nods enthusiastically.  
"Yeah, I volunteer at a shelter a few blocks down." she motions behind her with her thumb out. "When I first moved here I had nothing, and I mean, here it's just a few bad decisions and you'll find yourself homeless at any given time," she says with a slight frown. "But I know you've done lots of coverage too. So you're familiar with how the causes of being out on the street. From simple bad decisions, things totally out of their control, to more complex problems like mental health or the young LGBT community, veterans with PTSD that our system has failed." she pauses for a moment and sighs. "I mean I've met every sort of person working at that shelter. And none of them bad." she shows a sad smile that says a lot on it's own. He gives a small upturning of one side of his mouth in support of the notion. Her face is more serious now, she meets his eyes and he sees that spark that caught his attention in the first place. "I know I can't fix everything. But people are all people have." she bites her lip for a moment, looking down. "So I figured I would try to focus my efforts and I was drawn to this one specifically." her voice is quieter, he leans forward to hear her better in the bustle of the restaurant and street. "I figure starting with trying to give people the basic things they need to survive is a good start. Shelter, food, clothing, care. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. Especially to someone who isn't used to receiving it."

"Yeah it's...it's very important to know where your passion lies. And y'know, I can tell you're passionate about this, it's a big reason I wanted to work with you." he admits.

"Thanks," she says with a sincere huff of breath. "What's your passion then? What've you been working on?" she asks innocently enough.

Oh shit, here we go, he thinks. Here's where he tells her the truth and she leaves and he's back to square one. "Uh well, nothing as of late." he admits his nose wrinkles slightly as she tilts her head, showing the confusion on her face.

"I noticed you hadn't been uploading anything but, I thought you might've been working on something big." her brow is heavier, wanting to know more without being rude.

He lets out a sigh and licks his lips, leaning forward on the table on his elbows. "I'll be honest with you Candace." he begins, finding holding her gaze easier than he expected. "I made an enemy out of a very powerful man by asking the wrong things in an interview trying to get to the truth." his voice is more steady, a little deeper and self-assured than it had been earlier in the night. "I went for it and he blacklisted me a few months back." he says with a slow nod, lips tucked into his mouth. 

"Oh." she says with wide batting eyes. So THAT'S why he'd reached out to her. It was starting to make sense now. "Can I ask who?" she adds softly.

It was a perfectly logical follow-up question. "Carlton Drake." he says with a frown.

"Oh shit," she whispers, her chin pushing into her chest. "That's...yeah I bet that guy has a lot of secrets." she says looking away, he could see the wheels turning in her head. 

"I get it if you don't wanna work with me now, Candace I do-" he begins with slumped shoulders.

"No!" she insists, her brow heavy and a shake of her head. Her hand reaches out unexpectedly and rests on top of his. The sudden touch makes his face turns towards their hands a little too quickly to go unnoticed. "No that's...that's not fair," she says quietly. "What kind of asshole would I be if I'm preaching kindness one breath and then turning you away the next?" with one brow raised she retreats her hand. "I mean that's...that's heavy man. Not going to lie. But, I get it." her voice is slow and low, thoughtful and far nicer than he ever expected. "It's hard to know where to draw the line when trying to expose something that doesn't want to be exposed. Especially when it's covered by a man with a far reach and deep pockets like Drake." she shrugs, giving a closed mouth, sympathetic smile.

"Yeah. It was." he says with a slight snarl of his lip and a flash of sadness in his eyes. 

"Even if we can get what we'd need to make an expose' and get a station to buy it, it's not gonna be the sort of money you're used to. I'm afraid I don't have anything that would bring that much attention."

"Those sorts of stories are really rare, I wasn't expectin' nothin' like that." he shakes his head. "I just miss the work. Y'know?" his nose wrinkles slightly in earnest. 

"Yeah, I'd feel lost if I suddenly couldn't work anymore. But then again my eyes and ears are mostly homeless people so...not a high chance of that happening. Guess that's smart looking out on my behalf." she gives him a supportive smile. 

"Not the most credible witnesses in some people eye's but, you're right about that. You seem to utilize your resources that you have really well." 

"Having you help me will make it more credible I think, blacklisted or not. You can't have sources, video evidence, and eyewitnesses and be ignored by everyone forever."

"You already have those things?" his voice inflects upwards, sounding impressed.

"No." she frowns for a moment. "But I do know how we can get them." her smiles turns sly and it's infectious. "Here," she says, picking up her phone, scooting her chair closer to him and he meets her halfway. They sit arm to arm as she flips through her phone. "I've got a bunch of notes I can send you. Some audio recordings from witnesses and victims too. I'll send you these address and names..." she continues her thumb moving fast. "Apparently the police have been targeting certain homeless camps. They'll go in, push people around and make them fight to not get taken to jail over bullshit charges."

He nods as his eyes move over her picture of a map with doodled on circles and notes of locations and dates. "These are instances?"

"Yeah. I have all the names of the people I've talked to, of course, all but a few come to the shelter, so most aren't hard to find and they're more than willing to talk to someone who will listen. The problem is getting it on video. I need structured, on-camera interviews. I need written and signed witness statements and those people preferably need to be able to appear in court or at least appear reliable in some way if this does go to a legal level. I need to get it on video, pictures too of course but nothing is going to sell this like video will. And being in the right place on the right night is really tricky as I've found no real pattern between where they go and when."

"You've been working on this awhile haven't you?" he says with an impressed tone, seeing the dates go back for months. 

"Yeah. Those that can remember, I have the dates of arrest and the charges they were filed with...have their mug shots saved from the booking website to document injuries, which there certainly are." she moves her face to look to his not even a foot away. "My personal problem is it's not safe for me to go to these camps alone at night. I've wanted to go deeper on this for a while now but I have to be smart about it. I won't be of use to anyone if I'm in jail or in a hospital." she explains with a pouty frown. 

"You're definitely right about that." he nods, wishing he had her sense of patience and self-preservation. 

"That's where I thought you might come in." she smiles sheepishly. "I thought maybe if we both went...maybe we would be okay."

"Man...it's been so long since I've done work like this." he almost whispers, face showing his consideration. 

"I mean, I get it if you don't want to, it's dangerous so I'd understand if you didn't want to do it."

"Oh, no Candance, I definitely want to. Didn't mean to come off like I was gonna say no."

"Oh thank God." she exhales with a laugh. "I don't have anyone else to help me with this. We can go to the shelter and I can introduce you so they'll know who you are. That way there won't be any confusion. We'll take all the precautions we can. But getting video of a cop not only isolating them but threatening them AND making them fight then taking them in..." she shakes her head with a tired look on her face. "That's gonna take a lot of nights out there, and it'll just get more dangerous each time if the cops get wind of what we're doing."

"You're not wrong there." the same supportive nod. "But the reward would be worth the risk." he says with a gravelly tone and shrug. "I mean, this is a direct, unprovoked attack on at-risk people. Doesn't get much lower than that."

"It's been bothering me, honestly. I try to compartmentalize this sort of work but it's hard when you get to know these people."

"Yeah." his voice soft and higher pitched. "I understand that too well."

"I was really hoping you would." he notices how breathy her voice sounds so close. She sounded so genuinely relieved that he would help her, when she's the one helping him in his opinion. He gets caught up in that fire in her eyes again, seeing now the yellow flecks that exist in the pools of brown. 

The waitress interrupts with the check and they both snap upright.

"What's your email? I'll send you all this and the rest tonight." she says, thumbs already moving. 

"Oh, it's easy just eddiebrock at Gmail." he shakes his head dismissively.

"Keep it simple. I like it." she smiles and nods, noting it anyway. She moves and reaches for her wallet as he's already reached for his. "Nope. Put it away Eddie, I invited you out, I got it." she insists.

"You not even gonna let me pay for my own?" he asks with a high pitched boyish laugh.

"Nope. We could've met somewhere without food and I brought you out here and I'm not gonna have you spend money just because I was hungry." she says with a shake of her head, standing and placing the small booklet back on the table. 

"Well maybe I was hungry too." he says playfully. 

"Either way, I'm really grateful for the help so stop fighting me. You won't win." she grins and an almost goofy smile comes across his face. 

"Whatever you say." he says with a firm nod and a charming smile.

They both stand at the curb, the sun having set, the neon lights from building signs now playing across the still wet splotches on the asphalt and making the oil rainbows shine across the road. 

"Hey," he says to get her attention, one hand in his pocket, the other motioning towards his bike. "If you won't let me buy my own dinner, how about I save you the cost of a ride and I can take you home?" his voice was chivalrous and not suggestive. 

He sees her considering it, thumb hovering over the lit up screen, lip twitching as she looked over to the bike. "I don't want you to have to go too far out of your way or anything." she says with a shake of her head.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's the least I can do. Where do you live?"

"In the mission district." she says softly, noticing the scruff of his face as his hand rubbed his chin. 

"That's in the middle of everything, what're you talkin' about out the way?" he says with a charming laugh that moves his chest. He notices the smile grow from a twitch at the corner of her mouth to a full smile up to her eyes. "Unless you know..." he smirks, "You're afraid of the bike or somethin'." he says hunching his shoulders towards her, the mischievousness in his eyes to tease her make her scoff at him, her head tilting to the side and her mouth open as if she were offended. 

She blinks slowly a few times, he can't tell what she's thinking as her eyes narrow, but with a tilt of her head she answers, "Did you really just call me a chicken?" she asks with laughter in her voice "That's some grade school bullshit Brock." she says, no actual anger in her face. She makes a point to show her defiantly putting her phone in her pocket, she zips her jacket up dramatically. "And if you think I'm gonna fall for that..." she says with attitude, her head moving back and forth. "You'd be right." she says with a straight face before a smile that reaches her eyes comes across her face. "You got an extra helmet?" she asks with a quirked brow.

"Just so happens I do." he grins proudly at the fact his mischief paid off. His cheeks high and making his eyes smaller in his first showing of genuine excitement in months. "So that's a yes?" he leans in and tilts his head playfully. 

"Yes, that's a yes you big bully." she rolls her eyes and laughs. 

"C'mon ya bad ass." he says with a gritty laugh, walking across the street with her. "Let's get ya home Candace." he says with a sharp jerk of his head in the direction of the motorcycle. 

She likes how he says he her name, like his accent makes it sound more fun or something. She glances over his face, noting how good he looks in the low light of the street lamps as he puts the helmet on her and straps it under her chin. 

"There now, that isn't gonna go nowhere." he says, patting the top of the helmet. She then gets the treat of watching him throw his leg over the bike, jeans strained in all the right places as she holds back a gulp. She follows his lead before he has to ask, she knew how this worked. She just wasn't sure how she was going to handle being pressed up against him with her arms around him for the entire ride. She wasn't scared, he hadn't flown in on the bike like a bat out of hell or anything, but she'd be lying if she hadn't thought this was some girlish fantasy come to fruition for her.

He looks at his phone to remember the address before he starts the bike, she notices he saves it into her contact information. She supposes he would have to come to her place eventually, she wonders if she'll ever get to go to his. 

"Alright. Grab tight, we're all friends here." she can feel his laugh as she wraps her arms around his waist, feeling small against the broad expanse of his shoulders. He shields her completely from the biting wind except for her hands, but the warmth from his skin coming from under his shirt was distracting enough to make her not notice. 

So she closes out the night with her arms around Eddie Brock and a promise to see each other again. And not just once, but many times, for many hours at a time. It was the most eventful Friday she'd had in what was probably years. But then again, she wasn't much one for things like clubs and going out all night. Her best Fridays were spent with someone she liked, food and a good movie, a video game or a book. She'd had everything but the latter, and she expects she'll be curling up with one after she gets home. She tries to remember everything she can, because when she tells Steph that she rode bitch on Eddie Brock's bike with him taking her home she was going to be the one demanding details for once.  
\-------------------  
The next time Eddie and Candace see each other is four days later. But the next time they talk was that same night. Staying up late, her emailing all her work to him, and him eager and having nothing better to do with his time on a Friday, he sat up a workstation of sorts on his coffee table and got to reading. 

He was impressed with how thorough she'd been. She had a storyboard of how she wanted the final video to look, she had the name, date and time down for every little note. He'd had people that had worked with him at the network that didn't have their shit together to this degree. He knew she'd be good, he'd seen her work, seen her editing and her delivery but getting into her notes was like getting to see how her mind worked and he found he liked what he found there.

It had been easy to feel less than enthusiastic at times when working for a network. It wasn't as heartfelt or passionate, there was less danger to it and it certainly hadn't made him as genuinely excited about doing something like this was. At the network, he'd been wrangled, censored and directed. But this time he was totally free. Of course, he would work within the frame that Candace wanted to, it was her baby after all, her idea in the first place. He hadn't thought he'd find himself so...what was that feeling he'd almost forgotten? Oh yeah, happy. He'd never been one to play second fiddle to anyone, in his work life he wanted to be aggressive and self-assured, but those traits didn't follow him in pretty much any other aspect of his life. It was nice to feel those things again after feeling like he'd been on an endless losing streak.

They stay up with each other on speaker for almost two hours, organizing, making plans, discussing options and open hours. Even though it was work it didn't feel like it. She seemed genuinely excited about working with him, and in turn that made him even more excited about working with her. When was the last time someone had been happy to see him? He stopped to think about as they ended their phone call. He recalls it had been about four months since Anne left him, and when it did end she certainly hadn't been happy to see him. 

The biggest laughs they both experiences in the next few days come from their interactions with each other. She put down acronyms in her notes. They hung there unexplained and eventually Eddie snaps pictures of them sending her the photo with "???" in question. She explained her shorthand, and every now and then he would guess one right, her sending him a gif that would congratulate him. But most of the time he was clueless, and when he found himself stuck, he'd snap another pic and send it with some nonsensical words. Once they were comfortable, telling jokes to each other after feeling out each others sense of humor, the suggestions got more ridiculous and risque. They were the highlight of Candace's work hours. "BTA-RG" Bring The Atlas Right Gear, meaning the GPS didn't work well in that part of town and she needed to bring her gear bag for that bit of work. But when Eddie sent "Big Titties Are Really Great?" out of nowhere she snorted loudly and everyone in the office turned to look at her. She blushed just slightly, hunkering back down and explaining herself. She was more than happy to learn what a total dork he was turning out to be.  
\------  
He sits at the counter at a small hole in the wall diner. He's halfway through a greasy burger when the slam of a heavy bag on the counter breaks his enjoyment. Luckily for him, the sight before him was something that he was enjoying even more than the burger. 

It was Tuesday, and since her shift at the shelter on Saturday had been spent talking to people once again, she had more notes to discuss. 

"Sorry I'm late." she sighs out, unbuttoning the top clasp of her dress shirt because she was feeling particularly stuffy in the suit she was wearing.

"Oh. Wow." he says with a funny little smile. 

"What?" she says freezing, asking him with the move of her brow and her hesitant smile.

"You uh-" 'You look really nice.' is what came to mind but, he takes a detour at the last minute, chickening out. "You have a meeting or somethin'?" he asks, wiping his mouth with a thin napkin from the beaten up metal dispenser that matched the rest of the interior of the greasy spoon location.

"Ugh yeah," she says with a frown. "Had the owners of the paper come in today." she explains. 

She turns to look at the pegboard menu on the wall for a moment and he takes in the sight before him. Her navy suit is well fitted, a white button up under it, a pair of heels peek out from the slightly flared bottoms of her pants. He did love it when an attractive person wore a suit well. He liked it even better when he was close to that person, who also happened to be very nice and smart, so that he could get a good look. He hears her order of a double stack burger, onion rings, and a milkshake. He liked that she'd never been light about eating around him, made him feel comfortable like if she wasn't hiding anything, he might not have to either. She had yet to make him feel like anything other than a friend. 

"I ran copies of my notes, hope you don't mind going old school." she says with a pleasant smile, reaching into her bag. 

"Nah." he says wiping his hands on his jeans and taking the stack from her. "Been a long time since I've got to sit back and have a nice, long threesome with a pen, a highlighter, and some notes." he smirks. 

She laughs, something he's pleased to hear instead of reading 'lol' or 'haha' on a screen. "I'm like that with books. I know my tablet can hold a library's worth but there's just something about having that physically in your hands." she says with pouted lips in understanding. She takes a long drink from her milkshake. "Ah, I needed that." she slumps and takes another long drink. "Those meetings are such a pain in the ass. I feel like I deserve a good dirty meal as a reward." she sighs. "I wouldn't mind them if my boss didn't get so worked up over them. Like, just let me do my thing, I got my shit handled like I do every time. Just unclench your butthole and breathe." she rolls her eyes and he lets out a little chuckle. 

"I would agree that you have your shit together." he nods supportively.

"Thank you. I do." she says in agreement, but not in an overly cocky way. "So much so it seems I will be taking over the online division for local events as well."

"Oh! Congrats on that." he says with a friendly smack to her arm. 

"Thanks. But that also means I'll have less time to work on this. Unfortunately." her face shows genuine disappointment. "But I still wanna do it with you, we're still doing this. You're not gonna get out of it that easy." she leans in in a teasing way, raising her brows at him.

"I don't want out, don't gotta threaten a man, geez." he says playfully.

"Good." she says with a strong nod. "I might need you to do some interviews that I had planned on doing myself though. Would that be okay with you?" she asks before taking a huge bite of her burger, both hands around it, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk and he found it incredibly endearing. 

"No, no problem." he says, half smile still growing as he mirrors her and takes another bite of his. 

"I'm down for Saturday again at the shelter. I let the ones I talked to," she points at the stack of papers on the counter. "...the ones in there, know about you and that you'd be working with me. Could you come Saturday afternoon and I'll introduce you, show you around?" she suggests before taking another bite. 

"Consider me all yours on Saturday, Candace. I'm ready to get my hands dirty on this with you. Whatever you need help with, just let me know and I'll earn my share alright?" His warm tone and charming smile catch her off guard. She hadn't expected him to be so nice, so willing to roll up his sleeves with her, but she couldn't have been happier about it. 

"Great." she says with a relaxing of her posture, elbows moving to the countertop. "We'll go check out some campsites, get a feel for them and the people there. I'll know quite a few, and the more that know both of us the better chance we'll have at them looking out for us when the time comes." she takes a noisy sip of her milkshake. "We can go around the surrounding areas, know the routes in case we have to make a run for it." she let's out a little huff of a laugh but she's serious. 

"Sounds good. Been too long since I've had a good stakeout." he nods and grins. "How much area we talkin'?"

"In all Tenderloin's about fifty blocks. We won't be covering all of it but, if we wanna be thorough. And you know I do." she says with a big smile that he returns. "We're talkin' about twenty-five blocks I'm guessing." she nods thoughtfully. "So wear comfortable shoes." she chuckles.

"Well, uh...what about my bike? I can get us around a lot faster that way. I mean we'll have to do the perimeters on foot but it'd really cut down on the time in between."

"I don't have a car so that sounds good to me," she says with a shrug. Her response was casual but the thought of being snuggled up to him on that bike again made her feel like her light reaction was a lie. "We'll be walking a lot so you wanna plan on grabbing something afterward together? We seem to have similar tastes." she smiles, giving a nod to the burger in the red plastic basket in front of him. 

The suggestion catches him off guard. It wasn't work, but it didn't feel like anything beyond that either. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll be starving after all that anyway." he purses his full lips and slowly nods. 

"Maybe this time you can pick the place? I've picked twice now, it's your turn." 

"I don't...know nothin' in the area really." he says slowly like he was thinking while we was still speaking.

"Well, it doesn't have to be in Tenderloin. Where do you live? We can go somewhere you like instead." she says as if that was obvious. 

He didn't know that he could take her somewhere farther away, he wasn't sure of the rules of hanging out after work together when all the usual lines of working with someone weren't there. There wasn't a hierarchy from working in an office, no handbook for relationships for two people out trying to enact their own forms of justice. "I live in Fillmore," he says looking out the window behind her. "Honestly Candace, I have a bar I go to and the rest is take out. Unless you want something from the Chen's corner store." she sees his smile seems to be covering something. Like he's embarrassed maybe, which she didn't understand exactly but she wasn't about to let him feel that way.

"Well does the bar have food?" she says in an interesting way.

He lowers his head and does his high pitched short laugh. "Nothing worth eating." he shakes his head.

"We have until Saturday to figure it out. No rush." she shrugs. "Although takeout might really hit the spot after all that work." she side-eyes him, eating her food but keeping an eye out for his reaction. He seems comforted by her words, he didn't need to be sheepish about these sorts of things with her she hoped he'd come to realize. "We could always get some beers, some Chinese or Thai or something and look over the footage we got. Carbo-load after all that walking." her face is forward, now chewing away at an onion ring.

"Yeah you're probably right about that." he wanted to ask where she intended on eating that take out exactly. But 'my place or yours' didn't exactly feel right. He needed an excuse to clean his apartment anyway, and if on Saturday she meant her place, at least he wouldn't be coming home to a depressing bachelor pad.  
\---------------------  
Saturday comes and it goes swimmingly. He was personable and gentle with the people she introduced him to. It seemed he was aware he could come off as a little intimidating physically. She couldn't help but notice the way he would get on the other person's level, his voice a soft and considerate and he didn't even laugh loudly so he didn't come off as abrasive. He did most of the talking after the initial introductions. She could tell he'd been researching and paying attention and she was impressed and grateful for the time and consideration he was putting into the work. He made eye contact and touched to connect with people when appropriate, he was good at communicating and she could see how he could get information out of someone if he wanted. A good looking guy like him with emotional intelligence and cleverness to back it up? She really couldn't have found a better partner to work with. 

He seemed really knowledgeable about legal matters, able to explain things about prosecution and evidence and trials when people would ask what we wanted out of this work, or what to expect if we did end up being successful. He always stated first he expected us to be successful, and that we were doing it because we wanted to help first and foremost, not to exploit anyone or for the money. She comes to find that she was correct about him dating a successful lawyer, or rather he was engaged to one. Apparently, when he'd gone rogue on Drake, she was also fired from her job and left him. She could hear and see the sadness in his voice and eyes when he would talk about Anne. Candace felt bad for him, but she didn't pity him. If anything she was a bit jealous that he could find anyone at all in this city worth marrying. 

She'd deleted tinder ages ago after reaching her limit on immature people who wanted too much from her. After so many failed dates, getting ghosted and even catfished once she'd just given up on actively seeking out someone. She wanted a partner, not someone who depended on her or got intimidated by her own ambitions. But as she liked to remind herself when she started to feel lonely, her career wouldn't wake up one morning and tell her it didn't love her anymore. So she went about her life and stayed sane with the occasional hookup, letting the cards fall where they may.

As they sat on a bench, watching and timing the police patrols of the areas, he got more inquisitive about her with his questions. He learned she came from Kansas, which would explain the strange middle of the road accent she now had. He tells her he's from New York and she does a dramatic expression of faux surprise at the news, which makes him laugh, realizing the obviousness after the fact. His instincts have him pry a little further as she seems willing to answer anything he's sought after so far. He finds out that she left Kansas after dealing with her own blacklisting of sorts. She'd exposed the mayor to pocketing all the vending machine money in all of the government buildings in the city. In her inexperience, she expected some big show of support for her efforts, a dramatic kicking out of the man in question and a public shunning afterward. But she soon learned that life isn't like the movies. The good guys don't always win and get to ride off into the sunset. Sometimes the bad guy gets reelected after a city-wide audit and the good guy gets blacklisted from working in the town. This had pushed her to move away, knowing she still wanted to find the truth and expose it and found she wanted to do that for people who couldn't do it for themselves. That how she found herself doing what she did now. He admired her work ethic and ambitiousness that apparently were deeply ingrained her. She was clearly someone who spoke with both actions and words, never shying from hard work and willing to face failure in the name of the greater good. 

Once the sun starts setting they take everything they've gotten and stroll through a lovely, green park to get back to his bike. Eddie actually makes a suggestion of a Chinese place they can get food from. They stop and grab a six-pack before picking up the food and heading back her place. A locked front door and an elevator show the security of the place and he's thankful she found such a good spot since she lived alone. As soon as he walks in the studio apartment he can see her in the decor. It wasn't loud or overdone, pieces she'd written, landscapes and artistic typography hang on the light colored walls. She tells him to make himself comfortable as she grabs some clothes out a chest of drawers. 

"I'll be right back, gotta peel off this outer layer I put on for the public." she jokes, already brushing her hair up with her fingers before she shuts the bathroom door behind her. 

Eddie takes it upon himself to get the food out onto the small bar with stools in the kitchen. He grabs a box and sits on the soft grey couch placing a beer on a diy tiled mosaic coaster that rest on the coffee table in front of him. He looks around and finds the similarities between their places; a bed blocked off by a bookcase, although hers was much more organized and full of books, kitschy knick-knacks, and collectible toys. A blue desk with a fuzzy white chair in front and stacked boxes with scribbled names and places all full of papers. She had tall stacks of colorful books, titles telling him her wide range of interests from autobiographies to fashion and space. It looked lived in, comfortable but calm and he felt like he could move about the space without disrupting it too much. It felt warm and welcoming and a touch offbeat just like she did. 

She comes out of the bathroom with a fresh face, pajama pants with a feminine floral pattern on them under a plain white shirt, her hair pulled up into a pile on top of her head. The act of her letting him see her like this seems like a statement in itself he thinks. She sits next to him, switching on the tv and plugging in the camera to her laptop before putting on a pair of black framed glasses. They clink their beers as they dig in with chopsticks and watch the news as the footage uploads to her computer. 

He tells her about which newscasters are dicks in person, sharing a few stories of rubbing elbows at network parties that make her laugh. For the next few hours, they sit side by side, hunched over and watching what they'd gotten over the span of the day. She makes notes and marks time stamps for editing later, something he didn't have as much hands-on experience with as her and was taken back by how fast her brain and fingers would work in tandem to create something coherent out of him simply talking to another person. He compliments her skills, and she compliments his interpersonal skills for making it so easy to capture the right sound bites. This back and forth of praise becomes the norm for them while when work together, and it's something they both needed to hear from someone else whether they knew it or not. 

Neither of them said it, but they both felt a sort of ease with each other. This was more rare for Eddie than Candace. She seemed confident no matter where she was. A trait she'd had to learn early, being a young woman in the city. Eddie, on the other hand, was outwardly charismatic but inside feeling totally comfortable was rarer. He'd tried to ignore his worries of things getting awkward with such long spans of time being spent with a stranger and an attractive one at that. The awkward silences never came and the stall in conversations were never long or spent with an inner panic trying to figure out how to get it going again. She never made him feel anything but welcome and appreciated and he'd been going home feeling better about himself every day they'd spent together. 

Candace kept being pleasantly surprised by how he was just so nice. He had an animated face that spoke expressive words that never came off condescending, but always charming and usually funny. They'd grown quite fond of each other, and the chains of texts sent back and forth about things that weren't the case between the times when they'd see each other were proof of that.


	3. Mixing Professional and Personal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the month's pass, Eddie and Candace turn into good friends. As it goes when two people that are attracted to each other, spending a great deal of time around each other, the facades they've created to appear better than they are starting to falter. Sometimes this is a good thing, moving their relationship forward, sometimes this is a bad thing, making them have to stop and reflect on their decisions. Eddie has a breakthrough that will lead to the end of their working together on this case and Candy is left with making a decision because the rule of 'I can't sleep with him because we work together.' will shortly, no longer apply.

Over the next two months Eddie and Candace find a lot of their downtime being dedicated to the case and to each other. They see each other at least once a week, spending entire Saturdays together as he starts volunteering with her at the shelter. They text each other almost every day, whether it's about the case or not. The topics had started to drift to things besides work as they'd gotten comfortable with each other. 

About a month into the partnership, she'd muttered, "I bet Eddie would like that." while she was out with Stephanie. Her friend rolled her head obviously to her, giving her a knowing smirk. The flush in Candace's face let her know that this was certainly past just being co-workers. 

They hadn't moved past being friends, there was still a line drawn in that sort of behavior. Even although their nights were spent practically on top of each other, hiding in dark, tight alleyways and him putting her on his shoulders to get a better shot for the footage they needed. Despite the physicality, there were still no obvious signs of romance growing that were going unnoticed. She really did like the man, and he seemed to like her as well. There was a comfortable nature of their relationship now, he'd let her come to his place, she'd let him come to hers. They'd even fallen asleep on the couch together while waiting for a video to finish rendering. But there were no stolen glances, no lingering physical touches to speak of that she could recall. The only sentimental advancement had been him switching to calling her by her nickname instead of her full name. 

On one of their late nights, Candace talks to Steph on facetime. Steph is out and she sounds drunk and Candace is telling her to go home in a playful way.

"But Caaaaaandyyyy." she whines before she laughs loudly.

He watches the love on Candace's face as she laughs and points her finger to scold her friend, He keeps sipping away at his beer. Candy. He ponders the nickname. It fit her empathetic face and her kind actions. He lets a little smile come to his lips, watching her laugh and roll her eyes, the alcohol letting him get swept away in thought about how nice she'd been to him, what a good person she was, what a great friend she'd been. 

She closes out the call, shaking her head and looks over to see Eddie watching her. "She's not usually that much of a mess." she smirks. The fact that she's defending her friend's drunken actions makes him speak before he thinks about it.

"She called you Candy." he states.

"Yeah it's a nickname." she shrugs dismissively.

"She call you that because you're so sweet?" he blurts out, he covers for himself by laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. 

"It's a shortened form of Candace but...I don't mind that interpretation." her shoulders shake while she laughs. 

"I like it, y'know." he shrugs as she doesn't take her inquisitive eyes from him. "Suits you." he gives a hesitant nod and a closed lip smile grows across her face. 

"Because I'm sweet?" her eyes are confident, not shifting like his. 

"Well...yeah." he looks down and lets out a nervous chuckle, cheeks flushing slightly. After a few moments of silence, Candace's eyes watching his anxious body language he speaks again. "You..." he pauses swinging his eyes back up to meet hers. "You mind if I call you that?"

"Candy or sweet?" she grins, surprisingly finding his behavior to be very adorable. 

"Both?" he asks with a scrunched up face and tilted head, reminding her a puppy that heard a sound it was unsure of.

"How about this," she says, shifting her body towards his. "You can call me Candy in public, as long as you don't call me sweet around anyone else." she let's out a warm laugh that makes a dopey smile come across his face. 

"I can do that." he says with an almost proud expression on his face that she found to be very charming.  
\----------------------  
She didn't have to live in total denial about the fact that the man was attractive anymore to function around him, which was nice. He was human now, a peer instead of someone unreachable, but she had found that was making her more attracted to him, which she hadn't expected. By this point, most men were annoying her to the point of their level of attractiveness being irrelevant. But that hadn't happened with Eddie. Not yet anyway. It'd been almost two months, and she kept finding herself smiling when she'd see he texted her and she doesn't recall that happening anytime in her recent memory. She'd had a handful of racy dreams about him, but she wrote those off as her brain trying to take care of her needs that weren't being fulfilled and he was the closest male in her life.

\------

One day she went over to his apartment unannounced, not the most polite thing to do, but she wanted to pick up her USB so she could work. When she arrived he answered the door soaked in sweat, tugging earbuds out of his ears. 

"Hey." she says flatly, trying to ignore the way the white shirt clung to his body, the grey sweats that hung low on his lips. She had the thought that it wasn't her fault she was swallowing the drool the sight had caused if he was going to wear the official 'fuck me' uniform of hot guys. 

"Oh hey Candy!" he says with a big smile, endorphins pumping away inside him. "What's up? Somethin' wrong?" his voice changes to concerned.

"No," she shakes her head, taking a pause that lasted too long. "I needed my USB, I know you said you'd bring it tomorrow but you know me." she shrugs and lets out a small breathy laugh.

"Yeah, work work work," he says with a teasing nod. She has to watch him walk all the way to the other side of his apartment and his solid, stocky form doing that masculine shoulder shifting saunter that caught her eye in the first place. He tosses the towel he'd had on his shoulder onto the weight bench after ruffling his hair with it. She rolls her eyes at herself and how the muscles in his arms and across his shoulder shifted as he did so. Man, she needed to get ahold of herself. And get laid, she concludes. She recovers in time for it to look like she wasn't staring at him as he returns with the object in hand. "Here ya go." he says entirely too casually for the way her pulse was speeding up. 

"Thanks, Eddie." Why did it feel dirty to say his name when he looked like this? "I'll see you tomorrow." she nods and turns quickly to walk in a controlled way, maybe she swung her hips a little more than necessary, maybe ran her fingers through her hair so her jacket would lift up enough to show her ass a bit.

He leaned out the doorway watching her leave, and man did he enjoy the sight of it. WIth the hormones still going as fast as his heartbeat, he lets out a low groan as she disappears down the stairs. Working out usually resulted in jerking off in the shower, and it seemed this would end no differently, but at least now he had some clear inspiration.

When Eddie was checking out at his local corner store, Mrs. Chen asking him why he was buying two packs of different beer instead of his usual one, it dawns on him he'd done so without thinking much about it. He knew Candace would be over at some point and she liked this beer, so he'd gotten it so he'd have it for her. He plays it off, but he can't lie to himself in the face of an obvious behavior like this. Not when it was coupled with varies other signs he'd swept under the rug. 

He hadn't been looking for or expecting to find what he had in Candace. At first, she was a distraction. She quickly became a welcome one and with that, seeing her started to be something he looked forward to. At first, he'd focused on the work, assuming the feel-good hangover he'd have was just him being happy to get back out there again but it soon became obvious to him it wasn't only the work. He felt better when he was around her, like he was his old self again, someone that mattered. 

The real turning point for their relationship together had been one particular night of hiding out. They were finally getting the footage they needed. Trying to remain non-partisan and let the events fold out how they may and only documenting, not interfering, had come to a head for Eddie. As the cops antagonized the two women to fight each other his fists clenched, he let out a low growl of a noise. 

"Eddie calm down." Candace whispers curtly, eyes still on the camera screen.

"But look at 'em Candy, look what they're makin' those poor girls do." he almost whines, his toes gripping into his sneakers as he pushes up the sleeves of his hoodie.

"What are you doing?" she snaps at him in a whisper, grabbing his forearm and keeping him out of sight. 

"I"ve got help them out, we can't just let 'em do this, we know them." he turns back to look at her before trying to move again but she yanks him back into the alley, setting the camera down in the direction of the action and pushing him against a wall. 

"This is why we're here Eddie," she says sharply. "If we don't record it, we won't have evidence and if you intervene now, our cover is blown and no one will be getting anything for anyone. If they get hurt, the payout from a settlement they get will make it worth it if we do this right. There have been no deaths since this started, so just take a big breath, put on your big girl panties and let's do our job." she says just inches from him. Her tone is annoyed, her eyes serious as they burn into his emotionally torn ones. 

As she holds him against the wall with both hands to his chest she can feel his heart racing. She keeps a strong look into his eyes and when his face wines and twitches, looking to the side to the sound of the women fighting she grabs his chin and makes him look at her. He feels sometimes inside him shift. 

"Eddie. We've worked too hard to blow this now. And I'm not going to let you fuck this up for us." she says in an even, cool tone. Her whispered orders make his brain pay attention, despite her being shorter, although only by a few inches, he feels as if she shrinks him down with her actions. 

His chest heaves only once more, before his eyes go back to a normal width, the deep blue now calmer, his brow lowering and resting heavy again above them. He licks his lips and swallows noisily. 

"Okay," he whispers, a quick grouping of nods. With that she releases the rough stubbled cheeks under her fingers, hand still on his chest. 

Her face softens but doesn't lose its edge. He notices the freckles on her cheeks, the sharp dip of her cupid's bow as his eyes nervously dart over her features. "You're right. You're right Candy." he says quietly. He averts his eyes like a scolded puppy, his heart still beating fast but no longer because of anger. He knew certain things about himself, what role he naturally fell into, and it seemed she also naturally fell into a certain role of her own with him at that moment. 

She leans away, hand still on his chest, "Okay." she says softly, finally releasing the pressure on his chest that held him against the wall. His posture slumps immediately and she can tell he's ashamed. She's relieved he didn't fight back, although a part of her felt like she knew he wouldn't.  
\--------  
Back at her apartment, she's going over the footage to see what's salvageable, letting out a heavy sigh when his little episode makes the ending of the action unusable. She lets out a heavy sigh, putting her thumbnail in her mouth to gnaw at it as she stared at the screen.

"I'm sorry about that." he says again, unprovoked.

"I know." is all she says and from the corner of her eye she sees him slump again. 

"I just-" he lets out a huff of breath. "I get really caught up in the work."

She nods, still looking at the screen. She wasn't mad at him, annoyed, but not angry. He'd apologized and done nothing out of turn since. "That happen often?" she finally asks, turning her head to him, resting her jaw on her hand.

"Oh, well...I mean sometimes, yeah." he says with twitching lips. 

"Is that what happened with Drake?" she asks bluntly. Face set to that cold indifference to match her tone and he feels his chest tighten. 

He hadn't expected the question, but he certainly deserved it. "I found out he was doin' these experiments that were killing people. I had to do someth-"

"No you didn't." she interrupts him and his mouth, hanging open like a fish closes again. "There are rules, procedures with these kinds of things. You're too smart to act like that, Eddie. You've got to get control of your emotions. If you don't they'll run away with you." she says before taking a deep breath and sighing, setting her back straight again on the couch. "You'll just keep sabotaging yourself if you don't." her face isn't as hard as it was, it wasn't exactly pity but he felt that the words came from a place of kindness even if they didn't feel like it. 

"Yeah," he says quietly, looking away and nodding. "I know that. I do. I'm just-I'm sorry, alright?" he looks back over to her, swinging his head as if it were heavy. 

She reaches out and pats his knee. "I'm not mad at you Eddie," she says with a frown. "I just don't want you to jeopardize this. Okay? It means too much to me and I need to know I can trust you." her hand stays on his thigh, he finds the touch comforting. 

"You can." he nods, his apologetic voice soft in its delivery. "I'll do better next time." he leans forward slightly, and she sees in his eyes that he means it. 

"Alright," she says with a friendly inflection. "But now we've got to go back again and try to get the last half of this footage. We'll have to see the same thing happen and you won't try to interfere next time, right?" her voice is back to its usual warmth, her hand squeezing his leg slightly. 

"I won't. I swear." he feels the fear of losing this opportunity, the fear of losing her, this new woman that he'd ushered into his life at that moment. He bites his lip, brow heavy, and a solemn nod. 

She returns the gesture, a quick pat to his knee again before her hands move back to the laptop to start dissecting the footage. She was only half paying attention. He really was sorry, she hoped he'd keep his word. She believed he would. She wasn't particularly pleased with her own feelings at his reaction though, she saw how pitiful he could be and instead of finding it to be a major turn off, his vulnerability was somehow very endearing to her. Maybe he was feeling fragile still, she didn't know the entirety of his personal life, just the glimpses he'd allowed her at his local bar, his apartment, the buzzed, late night conversations that got a little deep suddenly with the lack of sleep and physical closeness added to the concoction. 

She didn't want him to let her down, she knew that for sure, and not just for business reasons. As she chews the inside of her cheek, messing with the brightness on the footage to see what she could improve, she realizes she'd really miss Eddie if she had to stop working with him. This project wouldn't last forever, they were in the final acts of it now and she feels an odd twisting in her stomach at the thought of not getting to be around him like she was now. She mouses over the same tract of audio again, hearing their whispers to each other over the background sound of the thumps and bangs of fighting. A thought and a problem for another day, she thinks, compartmentalizing the personal from the professional again.  
\--------

Candace and Steph sat in her apartment. Candace had just been a guest on her friend's podcast, they were finished up and now Steph sat on the couch, one headphone in and messing with the recording software. Candace's phone rings, she sips from her long-stemmed glass and reads a text from Eddie. 

"That who I think it is?" Steph grins, looking over with raised brows over her own glass as Candace.

"Yeah, he's gonna bring up my USB. Says he's got something to go over with me."

"I bet he does." she snorts.

"I've got two friends meeting for the first time happening here so if you could behave and not scare him off I'd appreciate it. We're close to wrapping this thing up." Steph opens her mouth and Candace points a finger in her face. "You make a condom joke I'm gonna throw this Moscato at you." she threatens with a smile.

"You're no fun." she shakes her head and laughs, eyes moving back to her screen. "I was gonna say I didn't know you were into voyeurism...wrappin' it up with me here. Maybe I should have you talk about that next time." 

"Not that I'm not open-minded, but that never really did anything for me."

"You aren't really a, sit on the sidelines kind of person."

"Thank you." she smiles smugly. "I would be inclined to agree."

"I think your cold calculation mixed with your warm honesty will work well with my listeners," she says with a nod. "I mean, everyone fantasizes about a woman in a position of power don't they?" she smirks.

"I'll keep talking about the dichotomy of in the street versus in the bedroom if it'll help." she shrugs. 

Steph had a podcast about sexuality, same subject of her blog that accompanied it. She'd started it after getting on at a sex shop years ago. It started as little blurbs about customers habits, finding people were fascinated with others interests and purchases so she decided to branch out. So it couldn't really be helped if she had sex on the brain constantly.

"What I like about you is you don't do the strong woman in the streets and the baby girl in the sheets." she grins, fingers tapping away at her laptop. 

Candace shrugs, "I'm sure it's some deep seeded need for control and fear of losing it in a world of traditionally male power structures but being a bottom has just never really been my thing." she chuckles, sinking into the couch. "But you know me, I'm always down to try something new." she shrugs, taking another drink.

"And that's why I love you." she smiles, clinking their glasses together. There's a knock on the door. "Speaking of bottoms." Steph mutters in her wine glass and Candace feels just buzzed enough to snort and give an eyebrow wiggle in response. Steph is sure to watch every move the two make while they interact with each other. She's been onto Candace's coy little smiles and mentioning Eddie one too many times in their conversations as of late for her to not think something was going on between them. 

"Hey Eddie." she practically coos out, meeting him with a pushed out hip and the wine glass in her hand. 

"Hey Candy," he says, eyes bright and meeting hers. Steph smirks to herself at hearing that she's letting Eddie call her by her nickname. "I got your thing here." he says pulling one hand out the pocket of his denim jacket, handing it to her. 

"Thanks for bringing it, you didn't have to." she says, ushering him in and shutting the door, taking the USB to her desk on the other end of the studio apartment. 

"Nah, I was driving through." he lies. His eyes meet Stephanie's as she indifferently studied him, having noticed him watching Candy as she walked away from him. "You're...Steph, right?" he asks, pointing a finger at her, a friendly smile on his face.

"That'd be me." she smiles and nods. "Nice to finally meet the infamous Eddie Brock." she smirks. 

"Oh." he lets out a huff of a laugh, Candace eyeballing her friend, a look of warning. She was making him nervous and she didn't want her to. "I don't know about all that." he shakes his head. 

"Don't mind her. She's territorial over me is all." Candace interjects, patting Eddie's arm as she moves into the kitchen.

"Can't blame me." she shrugs, "Can you Eddie?" her voice is teasing and Eddie's eyes narrow slightly. He wasn't threatened but gives her a knowing smile in return.

"No I cannot." he says with a more certain nod, his eyes moving back to Candace. 

Steph gives him a nod of solidarity. Okay, maybe not so much a total pushover. Eddie was updated in the profile she was building of him in her head. His retort had earned him a few points in her eyes.

"What was it you wanted to go over with me?" Candace interrupts the power struggle. 

Eddie's mouth hangs open for a moment, gathering his thoughts as he pulls a small notebook out of his pocket. He motions his hand to Steph who had gone back to looking at her screen.

"Oh, you can talk about anything around her, it's fine." she says in an informative but obvious tone. 

"I was tracking the locations again last night and I noticed somethin'." he says, standing next to her, bodies turned in towards the other, the notebook between them as Candy leaned in to follow his ringed finger as it tapped the page.

Steph stealthily watches from her seat. Look at that body language, she thought. Both touching and seeming totally comfortable with it, they were farther along than she'd given them credit for. 

"I looked at the arrest dates and ran that with the patrols we observed, the nights they hassled versus the nights they actually booked anyone and it seems these two shifts, are the ones that have the most activity. Three officers rotating on them so far, they might be the ones doing this, I don't think it's all them in the area, just isolated incidents. So that means we've got tomorrow and Sunday night for potential action."

Candace and Steph both look at him with impressed looks on their faces. The boy was smart, they had to give that to him. A man with observation skills that keen, she thought they were only a myth. 

"Look at you, Brock!" Candace says with a big grin, her hip knocking into his side. "That'll save us a ton of time." she says with an enthusiastic nod, taking a sip of wine. 

"I thought, y'know, it'd help since I kinda went and fucked up the footage last time." he says quietly, lips pursed, eyes meeting hers that were still saying he was sorry.

"I think this cancels it out as far as I'm concerned," she says in a warm tone that makes him sigh in relief. "You want to try for tomorrow?" she asks, her voice inflected upwards with curiosity. 

"If that's good for you, it's good for me." he shrugs with high brows that give over the reigns to her once again. 

"Then it's a date." Steph snorts from the couch.

Candy frowns, one eyebrow quirked up at her friend who is looking rather smug and not making eye contact as she types away. Eddie stays straight-faced, only his eyes moving over to Steph. As he lets out a small laugh Candy's face shifts back to its normal pleasant expression as they meet eyes again. "You wanna pick me up at the usual time?" she asks, rolling her eyes at the antics of her friend.

"Yeah, sure. You wanna grab something on the way? That way I don't have to hear you complain about bodega hot dogs all night?" 

Steph laughs from her seat. Candance fakes a look of offense taken. "They're awful, I make no apologies."

"Wasn't askin' for one." he says with an attractive smile, his shoulders hunching in defense, taking a few steps back towards the door.

She pauses, eyes looking at his face, quickly taking in the broad expanse of him so close before returning to his face. "That's a good idea. Gonna be a long night." she says, following him.

"Might get dangerous." he says, with a wrinkle of his nose and a tilt of his head as he stands in the doorway as she holds open the door.

"I know, but that's what I've got you for," she says softly with a smile, putting her hand on his bicep, pretending not to get distracted by how solid he felt. She gives his arm a pat and he gives her that quirky little half smile in return. "If we're together we'll be fine." she says reassuringly. 

"You're probably right." he nods, looking at the ground, then only his eyes looking up to meet hers, shooting her a glance that takes her off guard with how good he looked as he took a moment to look her over. "I'll see ya at 8, Candy." he says in a soft voice, a little almost cocky nod to accompany it. 

"See ya, Eddie. Be careful." she says after him, holding a hand up to acknowledge the order. She turns, back against the door to see Steph staring at her. 

"My fucking god, are you KIDDING me?" she says with wide eyes loudly.

Candace shuffles towards her, shushing her before plopping on the couch next to her.

"He is somehow SO much hotter in person. Jesus Christ." Steph says exasperatedly, fanning her face. Candace let's out a sigh, taking a big drink of wine. "He wore the hell out of that denim jacket." she adds with a nod, looking to the door. 

"He wears the hell out of everything." she quietly admits. "I squeezed his bicep. That was a mistake. He's...ugh..." she rests her head on the couch back. 

"Bitch. Seriously." she says shoving her friend's arm.

"I KNOW," she says as if she's angry. "But we're working together, dude, I can't sleep with him." she whines, taking another big drink.

"Yes, drink more, wine makes you horny, I want some honest answers." she laughs, tilting the glass into Candace's mouth as she sputters and laughs. "He's too fine, Candy. And he was nice. When's the last time you met a hot, nice guy?"

"Never." she states with a deadpan delivery. 

"When this job's over if you don't sleep with him I'm fucking going to!" she says with a grin.

"Couldn't blame you." she shakes her head. 

"So are you going to? I mean, you clearly like each other, not in the playground like-like sense but genuinely as people."

"Which somehow means more, doesn't it?"

"Exactly. You don't have to go bringing feelings into it. You're both adults, both professionals. If this is a world where two smart hot people can't bang one out just 'cause then I don't wanna live in it!" she says loudly, taking a big drink of wine.

"I'll drink to that." Candace laughs and she and Steph clink glasses, realizing she'd have to make an actual decision soon, which prompts her to down the rest of the contents of the glass in one go.


	4. Work and Leisure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *NSFW* Candy and Eddie's hard work pays off, but not without a close call first. They go back to her place to celebrate a job well done with whiskey. With the job over, Candy decides the rule of not sleeping with people she works with no longer applies.

It'd been hours of holding their breath every time a cop car would come into their line of vision. They were hunkered down in an alleyway covered by a line of thick bushes and boxes that ran the length of a brick-walled building that made up one side of the camp. Candace had her camcorder tight in her hand, strapped to her wrist. She stands at the corner of the wall under the cover of night and a broken street light on top of a crate to give her a vantage point. When a cop car rolls by and slows on the street that ran the width of the camp, she reaches back and smacks at Eddie to get his attention. He peels around the corner, both looking much like a scooby doo sketch with their heads right under the other, her torso over his head and shoulders as they press themselves against the wall. 

"This might be it." she whispers, looking down to meet Eddie's face before she takes out the camcorder to engage it. He only gives a nod in response. 

The scenario plays out as it should. The cops with their nightsticks strut around the camp, knocking things over nonchalantly and in general being total dicks. Candace keeps her breathing steady, holding the camera up to catch it all. They find two men to isolate, neither of which they knew, but Eddie feels that pang of guilt again as they get shoved together by the two policemen. They antagonize them, one getting hit about the face first, then shoved at each other again, the uniformed men barking illegal orders to figure out which one gets taken in for public intoxication and indecency, neither of which were true. 

"I'm gonna get closer." Candace whispers, moving slowly along the wall behind the brush and various garbage. Eddie slinks behind her, not willing to let her out of reach. 

The perfect shot is just out of reach it seemed, no matter how much she crept, she lines up the angles in thirds, the cops lit with an overhead light, the men fought reluctantly in front of them as they laughed and egged them on. 

"Candy." Eddie whispers, holding her elbow as she kept creeping closer and he was starting to get nervous. 

"I got it," she says, confident as always. "I have to get their faces." she informs, the zoom making the shot too shaky and blurred, she had to get to this final piece and it needed to be perfect. 

She crept up the edge of the wall and brush, Eddie behind a pile of boxes, her hunched and shooting through a large, dead bush, the cover of night and the black hoodies they wore pulled over their heads their main ally at this point. One man hits the ground and doesn't get up. The scene was hard to watch, Eddie had turned his head away already, the sounds were bad enough. He kept his eye on Candy instead, one hand out and ready to grab her if she stumbled. She had the shot, it even looked good, not merely capturing the events but looking almost cinematic. Her heart was already pounding in her ears, she could taste the end of this endeavor being near. 

One cop drags the man to the car, cuffing and opening the door to roughly shove him in. The other takes a last look out at the perimeter, and just as she's about to look down at the screen again, the dead battery light flashes, a beeping noise of warning comes from the camera and she curses. The cops flashlight beams directly on her, eyes caught in the light with a hood up and camera pointed directly at them. 

"Shit." Eddie says yanking her back immediately. 

"HEY!" they hear from the cop as Eddie picks her up and shoves her in front of him, making their way back to the alley. "HEY COME BACK HERE!" they hear him louder and closer. As soon as their feet start hitting and running across the wet pavement of the alley again, they hear him break through the brush, seeing the spotlight of the flashlight moving haphazardly over the grimy walls, garbage cans, and broken fire escapes. She stumbles, hitting her knees and hips as she runs as fast as she can down the small space, Eddie just a breath behind her. They move towards the more populated areas, the cop still shouting behind them. 

They move small lane to small street, bobbing, weaving and jumping over obstacles, both in tune and looking out for the other as they meet a well lit, populated street. Their feet are still hitting hard and fast when she's jerked by the wrist suddenly, then an arm around her ribs Eddie grabs her up and they spin fast into another alleyway before she can ask anything he has her shoved against a recessed part of a wall, just out of sight behind a large dumpster. His body is pressed against hers, her head turned towards the slight even though she couldn't see anything. His arm is between her back and the wall, his hand rests on her arm, holding it tightly as his heavy brow is lowered, mouth open and breathing hard as his eyes stay on the street. 

They say nothing, only their breathing and the loud drip of something making noise in the small space. Even though it's not even a full minute, the moments drag on forever before he finally slumps, closing his eyes and letting out a noisy exhale. 

"He kept going down the street." he whispers, before looking back up with wide eyes and an open mouth of exasperation. 

She lets out a heavy breath, letting her forehead hit his chest, "Oh thank god." she almost whines. His arm moves from around her and to her head. 

"You alright?" he asks, a genuinely concerned look on his face. "You hit a bunch of stuff back there." he says, looking her over. The gesture makes her give him a slightly dopey smile at the sweetness of it and the way his hands were so gentle. 

"No, I'm... fine Eddie." her tone is quiet as their breathing slows. He looks down as she looks up, faces a little too close to go unnoticed by either of them. 

"You sure?" he asks, chin dipping back. As her eyes move across his face, he feels his heart speed up again, as his do the same. The moment is heavy and drags on before she responds back. 

"Yeah I'm sure." she whispers, eyes back to his. "Eddie?" her voice is still soft and he stutters slightly.

"Yeah?" his lip turns up in question, his face would've flushed if it hadn't already been from exertion. 

"We uh...we need to get moving." she says with her eyes large and catching the light as they look up at him. 

"Oh, shit. Yeah," he says with a shake of his head, trying to get it back on straight. He steps back and starts taking off his hoodie. "Gotta get rid of these." he says laying it the dumpster. They'd both planned ahead, or rather Candace had by buying cheap black hoodies to ditch in case this exact situation went down. She follows suit and does the same, letting her hair down that had been pulled back to make herself look like they were just out together as they walked down the street side by side. 

"Let's grab something in here real quick and check the video." she suggests, tugging him by the hand into a Kebab joint. 

They sit in a tiny seat together, his arm on the chair back behind her, leaning into each other as they focus on the small screen. 

"We did it." a huge grin spreads across her face. She turns her head fast towards his. "We fuckin' did it Eddie." her voice almost a squeak, a sound he'd never heard come from her before. 

"We did." he smiles back proudly, stubbly cheeks rising to make his eyes smaller in an adorable expression that's half confident and have in disbelief. A win for him, something he knew he'd wanted but didn't know how desperately he'd needed it until now. 

"We have to celebrate." she says obviously. 

"What d'ya got in mind?" he raises his chin, supporting the almost childlike excitement she had on display. 

"Food and booze." she says with a chuckle, shutting the camera and standing. 

"I like the way you think, Candy, I really do." he laughs, holding the door open for her as they walk out onto the street in the direction of the place they left his bike. 

"I'm gonna use postmates, and get us some nice ass whiskey...and we'll order some good food, and we'll start putting this video together." her hands wring together, her eyes bright and a smile plastered on her face. 

"Sounds like a good time."

"Oh it's gonna be." she grins, he could hear the happiness in her voice and it was contagious. 

It's a few blocks to the bike and in that time the sweat on their bodies starts to cool and chill, and in only t-shirts he notices her shiver, rubbing her arms as they walk.

"I can help with that if you want?" he asks hesitantly.

"Hmmm?" she asks, turning her head while she chews on her bottom lip. 

"You're cold." he says, moving to put his arm around her shoulders as they keep walking.

"Was cold." she says with a chuckle. "It's like fifty degrees out here, how are you so damn warm?" she says shifting her shoulders, her casual response to his offer once again eases any nerves he had around her. 

He shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine." They reach the bike and he pulls out a hoodie from one of the bags. "Here, take this." he says, tossing it to her as he grabs his helmet. 

"No, you take it," she says handing it back. "All the wind will be hitting you while you drive." she takes the helmet he offers her. "I'll have it all blocked by you, plus I'll have my arms around a human space heater, I'll be fine." she laughs, putting on the helmet. 

"You sure? Don't wanna get to your place and turn around to find you frozen on my bike." he jokes.

"A Candy-sicle." she almost snorts. "That sounds delicious." she tilts her head as if in thought. "And now I want something sweet," she says like it's a complaint and he grins and shakes his head at her good mood. He settles in on the bike with her sliding in behind him. "C'mon Brock." she says wrapping her arms around without hesitation, a total change from the first time she'd done it she recalls. "Let's take ourselves a victory lap." she proclaims, her chin resting on his shoulder.  
\-----------  
They crash on the couch together, deciding to order expensive whiskey and cheap food, a great combination. With high ball glasses, she pours a drink, and they both let themselves relax. They eat, they decide to put the work away, announcing it was finished for tonight and now was a time to celebrate the hard work together. 

More drinks and less food as the night went on made them both drunk and a touch giggly. Candace loves his high pitched little laugh, the way his nose scrunches and his chin pushes back into his neck. With the veil of drunkenness coming over her, he looked more attractive than he ever had before. She thinks back to the day she came over and he was working out, feeling the warmth gather between her thighs. She watches him laid back, hand around his glass on the couch arm, his other lazily scratching his lower stomach, leaving his shirt up and slightly exposing the strip of skin that was currently distracting her. 

She knew she'd get like this if she drank and she couldn't really bring herself to care. She also knows that the sweetheart sitting next to her wouldn't be trying to sleep with her and she sat and chewed her lip as to what she wanted to do. They were at that nice spot of drunk and happy, not over the edge and messy yet. If she didn't ask, if she didn't try, she'd be yelled at tomorrow by both Steph and herself. She pulled her legs onto the couch, turning herself to face him, inching closer. 

"You okay over there Eddie?" she asks, as he looks just slightly melted, the creases around his mouth settled in heavy. 

He swings his head towards her, "I'm great over here. How are you over there?" he grins.

She can't help but laugh, biting her lip in a bit of an obvious sign as to her mood. "I'm okay...rather be over there though." 

He notices the look in her eyes, a new one that he hasn't seen. "Over here?" he asks innocently, putting his hand on his chest and she nods in response. "Oh are you...ya cold again or somethin'?" he suggests, raising his arm. "I got some to spare, y'know." the alcohol helps keep him loose and not get his hopes up before she made any glaringly obvious moves. He wasn't about to let his neglected sex drive ruin this by assuming anything just yet.

She slinks over without a word, "You looked a little sad." she says as she sighs and settles next to him, his arm behind her back with her knees pulled up, their faces at the same height. 

"Nah," he shakes his head. "That's just my face." he lets out that raspy chuckle. "I always look like this."

"What? Cute?" she says in a teasing voice that makes him sputter out another laugh. She watches the lines in his forehead shift, the crows feet forming at the edges of his eyes under his heavy brows wondering how she'd been able to wait so long to make a move on a man as sweet and good looking as he was. 

"Cute? You think I'm cute?" he turns his face to meet hers, his eyes were bright with amusement.

"Yeah." she states obviously, a slow-growing smile catches as she's watching his expressive face pass through being flattered and embarrassed. "Among other things." she looks away with a smirk, a single shrug of her shoulder makes his smile fall and his brows raise. Oh, that didn't sound so innocent, he realizes.

"Wh-Like what other things?" his voice drops, his accent coming out heavy.

She returns her eyes to his face, looking down his torso, a hand reaches up to touch the cowlick near the crown of his head as she speaks. "Like... smart. Funny. Sweet."

He lets out a nervous chuckle, suddenly very aware of his arm around her. "Aw, Candy you..." he shakes his head quickly, a quirky little smile on his lips. "You goin' hard on the praise there, huh?"

"I might've even drunk enough to admit how handsome you are." she says with a calm, cool, collected smile that is the opposite of his.

"You think I'm handsome? That is..." he nods fast. "That is much preferred to cute."

"You are handsome." she coos. "You're also...." she takes a deep inhale, her words coming out breathily in an exhale. "Do you know how sexy you are Eddie?" she asks with a tilt of her head.

Another nervous laugh, this one softer, his pulse quickened under her praise. He watches her lick her lips and he feels a groan grow in his chest. "You are... you're all those things too y'know." he offers. 

"You think so?" her smile is much cockier as she takes another sip of whiskey. 

"Yeah. Yeah I do." he gathers the courage to admit. 

"You think I'm sexy?" she says more playfully, a wrinkle of her nose as she raises her chin.

"Well, yeah." his brows are high and his mouth hangs open slightly, nothing but honesty to be found in his expression. "I just didn't...y'know...we were workin'."

"I have a rule, you see..." she begins, taking another drink of whiskey before setting it down on the coffee table. "To not fuck people I work with."

"That's...that's smart." he nods in agreement. 

"But we finished our job tonight didn't we?" her eyes swing up to his, bold and fearless.

"Yeah," he whispers, a few slow nods. She sees his Adam's apple bob up and down. 

Her hand moves up his chest, lips pouted just slightly. "So what do you think I want to do now that we're finished working?" she says, leaning in teasingly close to his face before pulling back.

"I bet I could guess." he whispers.

His response hits her as very funny with his obvious but nervous tone and she starts laughing, burying her face in his shoulder and it cuts the tension, the seriousness that'd been building. He laughs because she is, not having heard this sound from her before. 

"Oh, Eddie." she sighs out, hand moving to the side of his face, a half smile on her face, hiding how she wanted to swoon over how adorable he could be when he wasn't trying. "You're too charming for your own good." she says thumb stroking his cheek. He blushes at the words and she feels the hunger for him growing inside her. "Do you wanna fuck, Eddie?" she whispers just inches away from those big plush lips. "Because I wanna fuck you." she nods slowly, their eyes meet and she shifts her weight to face him more head-on. "So bad." she says in a breathy exhale. 

He feels a shudder run through his body. "Yeah." he says without hesitation, exactly in the strong out way she wanted to hear it.

"Yeah?" she says with a sweet tone and a sexy smile that travels right down to his balls as she moves closer.

"So bad." he huffs out and she feels that cold tingly rush down her spine. The words are exhaled by him and taken into her mouth as she closes in for a kiss they've both been waiting for. Their eyes flutter shut, a noisy exhale, a slumping of posture that gives away how much they'd both wanted it. She feels the arm around her backs grip tighten, holding her close to his side. She moves her other hand to his face, gripping his stubbled jaw with both hands. He might've had the softest lips she'd ever kissed, she left any reservations behind as she fully indulged in him. His other arm shifts, reaching over to grab her thigh. His hands bring her closer to him, and she swings her leg over his lap, straddling him on the couch. 

He lets out a soft moan as she starts to kiss him harshly, sucking and biting his lower lip as their breathing picked up and started to match each other. His hands timidly rest on her back, one hand moving to cup the back of her head on occasion as she raked her nails through his hair. She reaches down to around his torso, kisses trailing down his jaw to his neck, her hand exploring the broad expanse of lean muscle that tensed under her touch. 

She broke the kiss, his head pulling forward and keeping to her lips as long as he could. He'd been in a trance at the feeling of being wanted, having someone touch and taste him so needfully again. It was something he knew he'd missed but hadn't realized how much. He hadn't stopped to think about having it again, not realistically, not when it wasn't with Anne. Shit, don't think about her, anything but her, he whined to himself. He squeezes his eyes shut for a brief moment. But as he sees Candy's body stretch, taking off her shirt, those previous things that haunted him dissipated and his eyes were only for her. 

She leans in, lips ghosting over his, hands pulling up his hoodie over his stomach, "I want you Eddie." she whispers and he lets out a groan. She tosses it onto the other end of the couch before dipping down to kiss him again. He lets himself get lost in the heat from her smooth skin under his hands, feeling her ribs shift under them as she put her whole body into kissing him, something he appreciated more than he could properly express. She sucks his lower lip into her mouth, a wet pop on release as she hums. "Let's take this to bed, baby." she whispers in his ears and his eyes roll back at the soft sound of her, the feel of her breath on the shell of his ear makes his foot want to twitch like a dog getting an itch scratched.

She stands, turning off the tv and the lamp, leaving them with just the neon lights from the signs on the streets burning through her thin curtains over the window next to her bed. She hums again, pulling him up by the front of his shirt, fisted in her hand. Walking backward the short distance to the bed, she gives him a wicked grin and shoves him back with both hands onto it. He watches her like a goddess, mouth slack and eyes half-lidded. She stands and looks him over, licking her lips and smiling before taking off her jeans, he watches with a hypnotic bob of his head. Tugging his shirt over his head quickly, she points behind him. 

"Scoot up the bed, Eddie." she purrs, both of them love the way his name sounded coming out her mouth, especially when it dripped with need like she currently was. He does as he's told and quickly. She crawls up the bed, sitting on his hips, feeling even more drunk with the way he stared and licked his lips, hand hovering cautiously over her thighs. She takes off her bra, throwing it blindly, he bites his lip and lets out a small moan at the sight. She gently takes his wrists, placing his hands to her chest. His nostrils flare slightly at the sharp exhale before he cups gently and squeezes. She smiles through a bitten lip of her own before leaning down slowly, hands running up his soft but strong stomach to the broad expanse of his chest. As his hands move across her breasts, thumbs brushing with pressure across her nipples, she moans lightly in his ear and he lets out a noisy breath of appreciation. 

She nibbles his earlobe, plants kisses to his neck. She bites and sucks on his shoulders, marked with tattoos she didn't know he had, licking and nibbling across his collarbones and nipples as he lets his arms go limp, one raising to push her hair back from her face. He looked so tough but he was so gentle and the juxtaposition was fueling her lust. As she sinks her teeth just slightly into the pink hardened nipples on his perfectly fuzzy chest. He moans, letting his head fall back and she shuts her eyes, letting them roll back and listen to the helpless whine in his voice that she was the cause of. She could feel him pressing against her ass as his hips twitched and he grew harder, licking her way with a long stroke up to his thick neck where she sucks before joining their lips again. Her hands move up his big arms, bringing them above his head. 

With one hand she holds down his wrists, the other taking one of her breasts that hovered over his face, taking the sensitive peak and running it across his lips. His arms shift under her weight, his tongue peeking out to graze her nipple and he hears that low hum of approval from her. "Suck on my tits, babe." she whispers out, placing her other hand on top of the one on his wrists. He makes a hungry sound, a breathy chomp as those luscious lips of his get to work. "Good boy." she says, grinding her hips against his. His eyes flutter behind his lids, groaning into the soft skin that smelled sweet from her perfume. "Fuck." she sighs out, arching her back and taking away his toys, noticing how his tongue reached out as she pulled away. "More of that later." she coos, running her fingertips across his wet lips. "My mouth is impatient to get on you." she says with a mischievous grin. 

"Ah, fuck." he groans, watching her crawl down his body, kissing her way to the top of his jeans. She smiles and laps below his belly button, hands wasting no time in undoing his pants. She gives him a tiny noisy bite, fingers hooking under both his layers before she yanks them off. Standing for a brief moment, she makes herself also completely naked before settling between his legs. Running her hands up his thick thighs she sucks on her bottom lip and moans.

"You're so fucking hot, Eddie." she growls, hands grabbing his hips. Randomly placed kisses adorn his stomach, hips, and thighs as she watches him greedily grow and twich. "And look at this cock." she praises, her lips ghosting over the leaking tip as she speaks. 

"Fuck, Candy." he whines, his brow low but no look of anger, only of want and adoration. She felt like a queen under his watch and she felt compelled to treat him like the loyal subject he was. 

"That what you want Eddie?" she whispers, looking into his eyes and kissing the sides of his length. "For me to fuck you?" his lip snarls just slightly and he melts, she was...absolutely fantastic. He opens his mouth to speak, but she interrupts him. "What if I want to suck your cock first, huh?" she asks with an air of faux innocence that makes him give up and let his head fall back with a groan. 

"Please." he moans out. 

"Such a nice boy." she coos, kissing and licking her way back up before sucking on his head. 

He hisses in approval, a whine released as she cups his balls, the other hand wrapping around his base as she gets him wet and slowly takes him into her mouth. "Shit." he whispers, moving her hair out of her face. She works her hands and mouth in tandem, stroking and following her mouths rhythm. "You're so good at th-aaaaaaat." he groans as she runs her tongue over his balls. He didn't need her down here any longer, she could already feel him pulsing under her tongue, his balls tighten as she sucked him off. 

She slinks back up, rubbing herself back and forth over his length. "You feel how wet this pussy is for you, Eddie?" her voice low and teasing, rubbing herself frictionless against him. 

"Fuck...yes, I do." he moans, one hand rubbing down his face before she takes them both and brushes his fingertips across her lips. 

"You want it Eddie?" she gives him a devilish smile he hadn't thought her sweet face was capable of. 

"Yes." he nods, watching her lips suck on his fingertips. 

"Ask me." she directs. "Ask me real nice for it." she looks into his eyes, lapping away at his index finger and he can barely remember to breathe let alone form coherent requests. 

"Please." he pants out. "Please, Candy, I want it so bad." he whimpers, chest rising and falling fast.

She releases his hands, moving hers to his face to hold his chin, rubbing her thumb over his lips. "Such a good boy, aren't you baby?" she coos again, her other hands raising and notching his head inside her. "Such." she pants out. "A good." her eyes shut, her head starting to fall back. "Boy." she sighs out, lowering herself onto him. Her composure breaks for a moment. It'd been too long, he was giving her a good stretch. "Fuck." she whimpers, mouth falling open, licking before biting her lips. She whines slightly, wiggling her hips and finding a pace. Resting her hands on his chest, his hands find hers and rest on top of them. "Oh, shit." she lets out a deep chuckle, hips now steady, the sound of breathing and skin to skin the only thing in the space around them. The lights from the shop signs outside, the red, blue's and yellows fade and change and shift across their bodies as they move together. A slow unfamiliar pace changes to something more frantic, less calculated as she leans forward, connecting their mouths again as they feverishly kiss. His hands on her hips, one of hers gripped in his hair, the other on the bed for support as she arches and bows against him. 

Every helpless noise is passed back and forth between their mouths, everything turning messy, wet and urgent as they both drank each other in. Tongues stayed outside of their mouths as their breathing grew too fast, the moans forced out too often to bother with lips. As he held his head up to meet her, their foreheads pressed together as one of his hands move up to pinch at her breasts and she lets out a loud moan. 

"Fuck, I'm close." she pants out. The moan tears out of him at the confession, other hand moving to the side of her face to hold it still and try to kiss her again and they briefly succeed. She raises up, hands on his chest and determined expression, she gritted her teeth and rode him as hard as she could. "C'mon." she growls, smacking her hand on his chest. "Fuck me." she orders, a yelp escaping as she throws her head back as he moves his feet to pump up into her. "That's it." a drawn out, low moan as she hangs her head. As they did in business, they do in bed as they work together so well. Her nails grip into him but he barely notices, his brow low and focused, trying to not come too soon and also give her anything she wanted. He watches her move, entranced as her hair stuck to her face with sweat, tits bouncing and ass pounding away at his hips. He'd needed this so fucking bad, she knew what she was doing, she was fun, it felt easy and this was what he needed. She chants "Fuck. Yes, Eddie." moving from growls to high pitched squeaks. Her eyes open, they swing down to meet his. Out of her open panting mouth, she says so helplessly, "Don't stop. So close." a sharp intake of breath and her hips stutter. He focuses, forcing his hand between their bodies, his thumb pushing between her lips, watching her face fight against the pleasure. "Make me come, baby. Yes, make me." her voice almost sound like a plea and he moans, feeling her start to shake. He hadn't felt so powerful in so long time. With a few swipes of his thumb and thrusts of his hips, she fell to pieces on top of him. A building moan with every breath, her hips stutter, trying to keep going but soon the convulsions took her body over. With loud, feminine gasps, she rolls her head back forward from its position of shouting towards the ceiling. He watches her eyes focus again before she dives down on him, the hungriest kisses of the night so far between them. Needy moans and groans as he met her with equal fervor. Although her hips have slowed they have not stopped, still riding him with the intention to end him. She moves to his neck, sucking and licking and kissing up into his ear and back to his shoulder, he lays back and enjoys it. With the pressure off now to perform gone, he lets everything come as it pleases. "You wanna come now, baby?" she whispers between licks to the shell of his ear. 

He nods, "Mmmph, please." he grits out, his hips not working as hard as they had. 

"Then come for me." she purrs, a hand tugging his hair, hips moving faster again. 

"In...Inside?" he manages to ask. 

"Yeah, I've got an IUD don't worry about it." she says in a more more controlled way than he was capable of at the moment. "You can fill this pussy up if you want to, Eddie." she coos, back to her low sexual tone that he was finding he was already conditioned to respond to. 

"Fuck, Candy." he moans, a high pitched gasp coming after. 

"I came all over that cock now you come for this tight little pussy, yeah?" his head falls back, eyes shut and lolling about behind their lids. He was going to follow whatever that mouth told him to do. And as if he could forget, the mention of the word tight makes him focus on how she felt, how wet, how warm and soft she was. Not just between her legs, her chest bounced against his chest, thighs and ass still bobbing as he grips her hips again, letting himself get overwhelmed.

"Shit, baby, gonna come." he whines, teeth gritting together, eyes screwed shut as he lets out a loud grunt that fills her with pride for her work. 

"That's it." she whispers, her hips still working away at him, his hip pulsing as he gave over to it with grunts and wanton moans. He was very vocal, possibly the most vocal man she'd been with and not that he was exceptionally so, she just found his willingness to give in rather intoxicating. Once his eyes open again, she presses her lips against his softly and finds him wanting as he groans, one hand to the back of her head, the other moving from her hip to back. It was slow and indulgent and directionless and soft. She was charmed entirely. 

Their lips pause and slow, soft breathy laughs as they part, looking at each other in the afterglow, both their heads much clearer. She shifts herself and winces. "Be right back." she says with one last peck before she rises and walks to the bathroom. He lays there, one arm behind his head after watching her naked form move across the room. They'd really done that, huh? He thinks, scratching his head, his hair down on his forehead, messy from her hands and sweat. He doesn't have much time to gather his thoughts as to what to do now as she reappears, washcloth in hand, reaching out to run it over his wet and now sticky bits as the air got to him. 

He lets out a low groan that makes her smile and chuckle as she gently wipes him down before he can give any rejection to the action. She tosses the cloth into the hamper in the corner, he watches her throw her clothes in after, moving naked and confident about her apartment, he was fully enjoying the sight of her body and the acknowledgment of her confidence to walk around totally bare with someone seeing her in such a state for the first time. She puts his clothes across the back of her desk chair that was against the wall opposite the bed. "I like having everything put up before I go to sleep." she says with a half smile, tugging at the covers. He takes the hint, rolling and sitting up on the edge of the bed, not as confident as she was to stroll around naked, even in the dim light. 

"I'm gonna..." he points in the direction of the bathroom. She nods in response, turning down the covers as she watches him walk to the bathroom with a smirk on her face. He reemerges, looking around to find the food put up, the whiskey closed and a glass of water and his phone by the bed on her nightstand, already plugged in. Man, she was thorough in every part of her life, wasn't she? He finds her on her side, comforter over her naked body, under her arms, her head resting on her hand. He reaches for his boxer briefs and tugs them on. 

"Don't feel like you have to leave or anything. It's late, we drank, you can stay if you want." she says it casually with a shrug but she's more nervous about his response than she shows. 

"I planned on stayin'." he says softly, moving towards the bed. "I just felt better with these on." he says with a shy smile, snapping the band of his underwear. She quietly sighs with relief, she wouldn't have been insulted exactly, but it was always nice to have the reassurance he wasn't appalled at what they'd just done. He lifts the covers, the sight verified she was in fact still naked. He notices bruises forming on her. "Oh shit, I didn't do that did I?" his face twists with worry, reaching out to run his fingertips across her hip where one of the spots were developing.

"No, I don't think so. These are from running from the cops I think." she chuckles, watching his lips pout. 

"Good. I'd feel like an asshole if I did that." he admits, looking back up to her eyes, covering them both gently with the blanket. 

"Man..." she sighs. "You really are sweet aren't you?" she smiles and he blushes. 

"If me not wanting to leave bruises on you is the bar for sweetness for you for men I'd like to apologize on behalf of all of 'em." he says with humor in his voice as he settles back into the covers. 

Ugh, how was a grown man so cute? She tries to make sure the oxytocin from the good sex doesn't cloud her brain too much. "Yeah...you're one of the good ones." she smiles, kissing his cheek. 

He makes a groaned sound, not really works but it felt the equivalent of 'aw, shucks'. 

"Night Eddie." she whispers, smiling down at him.

"Night Candy." he says softly, a yawn creeping up as she turned and laid on her stomach and settled into the soft bed. The sheet's smelled nice and fresh despite the dirty things that had gone down on them. They were cool and soft and he felt a welcome calm he hadn't in a long time. It'd be too much to reach out and touch her, he thought. But man did he miss having someone to cuddle up to as he fell asleep. Maybe next time he thought. Would there be a next time? He questioned. He wasn't sure what this meant. It was two friends sleeping together. Maybe it was was a fuck buddy situation. There weren't any romantic words spoken, just praise and lust beforehand. He feels sleep coming for him, another yawn as he turned to his side, facing her, looking over her soft features in the faint light before shutting his eyes for good. They were both wondering the same thing, both hoping it wasn't the last time they'd spend the night together like this.


	5. Stress and Relaxation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW  
> In the aftermath of sleeping together for the first time, Candy becomes too busy with her new job to see Eddie as often as she had been. After a particularly rough day she reaches out to him. She’s found herself missing him, now trying to figure out what to do about liking him more than she should. He’s a mess, she shouldn’t want to date a mess, right? She thought she knew better.

The honk of a car horn out on the street wakes Candace up instead of a rouge beam of sunlight through the curtains. She twists her face in recognition of the soreness in her muscles, groaning before having a stretch. The slow and indulgent lengthening of her limbs is interrupted when her hand hits something in the bed next to her. Snapping her eyes open, she jerks her head toward the object, quickly remembering she's sharing her bed with someone else. 

Eddie barely even registers the small push, a twitch of his sleepy, handsome face, his only reaction. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, she rests back against the pillows. Covering her mouth as she lets out an audible yawn, she begins watching Eddie's face as he slept. A soft blub of his plush lips as he exhales, the lines on his face much softer as he looked truly relaxed for the first time she'd seen. She feels oddly compelled to lean forward and kiss those pouty lips, they were so tempting and distracting it was unfair. She knew now that every time she looked at his lips she'd be thinking about how they kissed her. Daydreaming about how his tongue parted hers and lapped against her skin as she rode him. She huffs out an annoyed breath, getting a grip on herself as she slinks out of bed slowly so she doesn't wake him. 

He seems to be a heavy sleeper, as she's gotten up and made herself decent, made food and coffee and he still snoozes away. Gently running her fingers through his hair to stir him, a small grunt expelled from his handsome face. Tracing his ear and he noticeably shivers but still, he sleeps. Poor thing must've really been exhausted, she thinks with a twitch of her lips. She sits on the edge of the bed and rubs his upper arm and shoulder. 

"Eddie." she calls out sweetly.

He grunts before she hears the loud inhale that occurs with the realization of being woken up. "Mmmph." he puffs out.

"Morning, sunshine." she says, holding out a mug of steaming coffee.

His nose twitches as the smell hits him. "Oh..." he says, eyes barely open under a heavy brow. "Mornin'." his voice breaks before he clears his throat to knock off the sleep. 

"Want some coffee?" she asks, holding out the cup as he sits up and leans back against the headboard. 

"Mmmph. Yeah." he nods, taking it into both hands. "Thank you." he says softly. She watches him sip, his eyes still puffy from sleep, they close and sigh as she watches his lean arms and shoulders shift, stretching his neck before taking a long drink.

"I'm gonna have some breakfast." she nods her head towards the kitchen. "If you wanna join me." she says before rising from the bed.

"Oh?" he mumbles into the mug, watching her through the square-shaped holes in the shelves beside her bed as she walks to the bar. "What ya got?" he calls out in a deep tone. 

"Hashbrowns, bacon and eggs." she says proudly, taking a plate full and sitting on the couch. "Everything to soak up that booze and get you feeling a bit more human again." she says before taking a big bite of hashbrown. 

He sits the mug on the nightstand and moves to put on his pants and t-shirt. He moves to unplug his phone, down the glass of water by the bed and brings the mug to the coffee table before joining her on the couch to eat.

"Thanks for this, this is, you didn't have to." he shakes his head, holding up the plate in front of him. "It's really good though." he adds with a mouthful of food.

"Thanks." she huffs out a laugh. "I was hungry too so it's no problem, really."

"You cook a lot?" he asks, still chewing and she silently laughs at his childlike manners.

"I like to cook when I have the time. Too much of my diet is frozen food and take out though." she says with a slight frown.

"All mine is." he lets out a raspy laugh at himself. 

"Next time I cook I'll let you know." she says casually. "That be okay?" she asks, turning her head towards him.

"That sounds great to me. I don't remember the last time I had a home made meal."

"I'll try to make it sooner than later then. For both of our sakes." she gives a half smile a small nod of agreement in response.

They don't say much, the silence is fine for both of them, it doesn't feel awkward but there are unanswered questions and they both know it. Candy takes it upon herself to clear the air first. 

"Do you wanna talk about last night?" she asks, sitting back with a mug between her hands. 

"Yeah, uh...last night." he says with a nod.

"I'll send you the project when it's finished. I mean the sex." she smirks and with it the tension that had quickly appeared in his shoulders at the mention of it starts to fade. 

"Oh yeah, that part." a goofy grin comes across his face. 

"I'll come right out with it because that's how I like to handle things," she says sitting up straight. "From my end, well I had a great time." she looks around the room and lets out a little laugh that makes him smile. "I don't think it was a mistake and I don't expect anything from you now." she shakes her head. "I mean, we're not together or anything, I figured we could just be... friends that fuck, ya know?" she meets his eyes again with raised brows and a hopeful smile.

The relief that floods him is immense. A person that was honest and forthwright was so hard to come across and he felt lucky to have somehow fallen into her favor. "That's... yeah, that's probably the best approach." he nods, a smile forming on his lips. "You were... somethin'. "he chuckles, "In all seriousness, I had a really, really fun time with you." he can feel the heat flush across his face, but it doesn't show. "I'd like to do that again." he grins, looking down as he takes a long noisy sip of coffee. 

"Me too." she smirks. "I know I'm gonna be busy with this promotion and I know you've got baggage," she says without thinking. "No offense." she gives him a sympathetic glance.

"None taken." he declares with a shake of his head. She was right. It'd been almost six months now since Anne left him and even though things might look up if this story went well, there was still a lot of time before anything fruitful would come from it. They had to finalize it and find someone to buy it and then if no one did, there was no guarantee if they posted it online that it would go viral. So even though the footwork was finished there were still plenty of loose ends which meant he was still in limbo. At least he had a kind new friend who would fuck him and feed him from time to time if worst came to worst. That was a hell of a lot more than he had going for him a few months ago. He knew he wasn't totally over Anne, but lucky for him Candy had a good head on her shoulders and knew better than to jump into something with a hot mess like him. 

She could see those wheels spinning in his head, she hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but being honest with people would sometimes have that side effect. "Not that you aren't nice and hot and sweet." she offers, another kind smile shot his way. "But you know as well as I do that there's a lot you aren't happy about in your life." her tone switches to something softer and nonconfrontational. 

He purses his lips and nods, knowing she was right.

"And in my opinion, I don't think you need to bring anyone else into your unhappiness until you've got it more in control. A few less problems on your plate, ya know?" her voice doesn't demand anything of him, it's spoken plainly and truthfully. 

He turns with a more serious face to meet her eyes. "You're right." he nods. "You really get down to business with a man don't ya?" he huffs out a nervous laugh.

"Only way to do it." she smiles. "Plus..." she lets out a little sigh. "I care about you, Eddie." she says with a pouted lip and the corner of his mouth tugs back into a smile at the way her face went soft when she said it. "I want what's best for you. I won't create more problems for you if I can help it. I want you to be happy." she reaches out and rubs his shoulder supportively. 

"You just want me happy so you can get back in my pants, Candy." a big goofy grin back on his face that she loved to see.

She scoffs before it quickly turns into a laugh, reaching out and ruffling his hair before shoving his head gently. "You're such a turd." she rolls her eyes. 

"And you wanna sleep with this turd for some reason. So whats that say about you?" he nods his head at her in a playfully antagonizing way. 

She smiles at him, eyes under heavy brows from behind her mug as she shrugs and looks away with a coy smile.  
\-----  
Candy pitches the story hard and waits for the best offers to roll in once word got out. She wanted to get a good price for Eddie, she knew he needed a win. With no news of any work on the horizon for him, she knew he was feeling down and she wanted to help him out however she could. With her new job responsibilities, she hadn't even been volunteering at the shelter weekly as she was dealing with the new schedule and its demands. 

She was exhausted as much as she hated to admit it. Most of her hours were spent writing and editing. Being in charge of more people meant more headaches and she should've bought stock in Aleve with how often the problems were coming at her and following her home. It'd been weeks since she'd seen Eddie and even though they texted, she missed him. Steph was there for her like always but there was something about the masculine energy of him, beyond the sexual that she missed. He was goofy and sweet and Steph was hilarious but she lacked on the sweetness that Eddie naturally exuded towards her. Every time she'd had to shoot him down for meeting up she felt awful, she knew he didn't have much going on and it must've taken a few paces and a pep talk or two to ask her out but she truly was busy. 

On a Friday that was brewing up a major headache, a deadline only hours away, she's dealing with last minute changes, requests and hunting and hounding individuals that weren't as invested in their jobs as she was. She went into a full boss mode, pointed fingers, low threatening tone but eerily calm and specific words usage that equated to telling people to stop trying to fuck with her. She bangs her head on her desk in her own office as the clock passes 6:00pm. The deadline passed and met. People poke theirs heads in to let her know everything is finished and they're leaving and she just waves them away with no words back. 

She could stay and work ahead, which she usually did but today it felt like her brain might melt if she had to put once more ounce of effort into this place. She sits hunched over her desk, elbows on the top as she picks her phone back up to look at it for leisure for the first time today. She sees another text from Eddie she'd missed, from before lunch, asking her if she wanted to get something. 

"Fuck." she groans, hitting her head back on the desk again, banging it a few times in frustration for good measure. She was the worst friend ever. So unlike anyone else in their age group, she elects to call him. And lucky for her, he isn't one for being passive aggressive towards her and he picks up after only a few rings. 

"Candy? You alright?" he asks immediately with concern in his voice. It wasn't like her to ignore a text completely, and the fact that he wasn't sick and tired of her bullshit by this point almost made her want to weep. He'd certainly earned more than a few kisses for being such a nice guy. 

"I am now." she says with a heavy exhale, her hand resting on her temple as she lets the guilt leave her body in slow breaths.

"You didn't answer me earlier..." he trails off and she can feel the subtle hurt in his tone.

"I know. I'm really sorry Eddie, I really am. Today was a fucking nightmare." she groans. 

"That bad huh?" his voice is back to the same sweet even tone she needed in her life on days like this.

"Worse. Deadline day." she lets out a small huff of a laugh. "If you're willing to forgive a jerk like me, you wanna do something tonight?"

"You aren't a jerk." he dismisses her insults. "What d'ya wanna do?"

"Nothing." she laughs. "How about you come over to my place? I'm so fuckin' stressed I just need to chill and I haven't seen you in too long and I don't wanna be a shitty friend so I'll feed you and every thing." she says with a slight whine to her voice. 

"You've talked me into it." he chuckles. 

"I'm leaving my office now, you at home?"

"At the bar." 

"Okay, I'll still get there before you then. I'll see you in a little bit."

"See ya."

They both put their phones down on the wooden surfaces in front of them. They close their eyes and let out a heavy sigh, letting a smile appear on their faces before quickly getting a move on towards seeing each other with a warm affection for the other growing in their stomachs.  
\--------

Her apartment was messier than she'd like so she throws dishes in the sink and her clothes in the hamper and stacks te messy books and papers on her desk. She knew she didn't have to make herself look like she had it together for Eddie, but it was in her nature to be prepared and having things untidy around her made her feel more anxious than a clean room would and she needed to relax tonight. She ties her hair up and hops in the shower, using her lavender body wash to put her into the right mindset, to get rid of the stress sweat from the day she was putting behind her. She switched on her wax warmer of the same scent and she riffled through her drawers for something to wear. She decides on a thinly strapped nightgown and big fuzzy slipper socks. She throws a thick knit, over sized cardgian on and wraps it around her before moving to peruse the contents of her fridge. She needed to go shopping, she concludes as she pushes almost expired cartons of almond milk out of the way as if she'd actually find anything behind them. 

As she's bent over the counter scrolling through her phone, deciding on what to order Eddie knocks. 

Each of their expressions is mirrored on the others face, a small smile, a softening of their eyes and sweet tones exhaled as they greeted each other with their names. They'd missed hearing how their names sounded coming from each other. 

"Smells nice in here." he says with a pouted lip that looked impressed. 

"It's a wax warmer thingy. Just a way to make it look like my life isn't fraying at the edges." she gives him a closed-mouthed smile and raised brows, moving her body slowly back to the counter. 

"I use febreeze." he says with a chuckle, taking off his leather jacket and hanging it by the door.

"Oldest trick in the book." she grins. "I wanted to use my aromatherapy stuff so I could chill the fuck out after today." she says with a sigh.

"Work starting to wear you down, huh?" he gives a supportive nod her way. 

"I don't want to admit it but yeah." she sits her phone down and nods. "It's not that I don't have it handled and the longer I do it the better I'll get at it, the easier it'll be to navigate but right now it's stressing me out. I hate being stressed out, makes me a monster." she groans, looking back to her phone. 

"Don't look like a monster to me." he offers. 

"That's because I washed it down the drain when I showered when I got home." she chuckles. "I'm a monster because it's been almost three weeks since I've seen you. AND I totally just missed your text today." she gives him an apologetic glance. "I'm really sorry about that, by the way. I'm gonna make it up to you, I swear."

"You don't have to, we work in the same field, I get it, I do." he leans forward across the bar to get closer to her. 

"Well the upside to this job is I got a raise, so I'm gonna order some good food. I wanted to cook but I haven't had time to shop so this is the new plan."

"Oh, what we gettin'?" he asks, leaning over and looking at her phone, she walks to the other side next to him, she leans against him and he doesn't seem to mind. 

She puts her nose to his soft t-shirt, eyes peeping up at him as he turned his head to look down at her with an amused smile. "You smell good." she says with a sigh, resting her face on his lean bicep as she leaned in to put the phone in front of him. "What you think? Surf and turf? Foie Gras? Wagu?" he takes the phone from her hand and she doesn't leave from her new spot on his arm. She wanted to wrap her arms around his one big one, to be able to pout a little, have him tell her it'd be alright. 

Even people in control need some babying from time to time and sleeping with him had made her crave human contact fairly aggressively again. When she was stressed, like most people there were a few things she liked to do. She wanted in some form, to eat, sleep and fuck. But there were lots of variations these three basic needs could manifest as. This time they were presenting as wanting savory food and physical comfort. As good as Steph was at sharing a bed and snuggling, she had been craving the distinct physicality of masculinity that Eddie had to spare. She didn't have trouble asking for what she wanted, but when you were asking a guy that you slept with but weren't dating that you wanted a cuddle it couldn't really help but feel a bit awkward. But knowing she felt bad and that it would continue until the stressor disappeared, which wasn't happening, she needed to give in to what her mind and body were telling her they required. Eddie was a big, sweet softie deep down and she hoped she wouldn't have to face rejection, but knew she'd live if she did.  
\---  
It nears midnight, she'd had some wine with the amazing meal they'd ordered to loosen herself up a bit. She continued this looseness after she finished eating, the sounds of a binge-watching Netflix went on in the background. He knew it was late and he wasn't really sure about the read on the situation. She'd already been in pajamas when he'd shown up, talked about how stressed she was, wined, dined and now she kept being more physical with him than she had been before. He thought maybe she was being affectionate to make it up to him for being so aloof, or maybe this is how she really was and since they'd slept together she was feeling comfortable around him. So when her foot moves to nudge under his thigh from their resting place on his lap he turns to face her. 

"Eddie?" her voice had an unusual whine to it he hadn't heard before as she wiggled her toes under his leg. "I have a favor to ask." she says with big eyes. 

"What?" he asks with a nod of his chin, patting the foot that remained on his lap. 

"It's more than one favor actually." she chuckles, looking almost bashful. 

"And my question still stands." he smirks. 

"First, would you mind staying the night? I'd like the company." she admits with a soft glance and he feels his heart thump a little harder than it should.

"I've not got anywhere to be, Candy." he shakes his head. "I'll stay with ya." his voice inflecting upward.

"And second, there's something I need that I think you might be just the man for." she narrows her eyes and smiles. 

"Uh huh." his smile much cockier than she was used to seeing it as the vague suggestion. 

"Feel free to say no if I'm... crossing some line or something..." she begins.

"I doubt you could cross any lines with me." he raises his brows and she tilts her head, surprised and highly intrigued by the response. =

"Good to know. And I'll be coming back to that later." she nods and laughs. "I feel bad," she states plainly. "And when I feel bad there are certain things I start craving and right now the one thing that I haven't checked off that list tonight is cuddling." she looks away for a moment before returning her eyes to his. 

"Cuddling?" he states again. 

"Yeah, I wanted to know if you'd be willing to stay and snuggle up with me tonight." she lays it out on the table. 

He blinks at her, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face with interest.

"Not what you were expecting me to ask, huh?" she grins. 

"No." he shakes his head. "No it is not." his tone reflects his surprise. 

"I'm not saying sex is off the table..." she lets out a feminine giggle and rests her face against the back of the couch. "But first I'd like to just...lay together. You seem like you'd be good at it." she lets out a breathy little laugh. 

"I guess you'll find out." he shrugs.

"That a yes?" she says, bringing her hand up to her chin to grin childishly at him. 

"I've not been feelin' too great either, to be honest." he reflects. "Getting cozied up sounds..." he nods thoughtfully, looking away then back to her. "Sounds really, really nice actually." he slowly nods and gives her a supportive smile and the softness of his eyes makes her want to kiss him. 

"Ugh, thank you. You big sweetie." she says, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "I'm too many glasses of wine in and I wanna power down so c'mon." she says tugging at his wrist as she stands. "Show me those skills, Brock." she laughs as she picks up a plate and the bottle of wine and heads to the kitchen.

He's down to boxer briefs and a t-shirt, she's in a nightgown and nothing else as she usually wore very little to sleep in. She props up slightly on her pillows, laying slightly twisted on her back and settling in as he lifts the covers to get in. The hum of the noise on the street is muffled and translates to white noise. The room smells of lavender, the sheet's smell like her and perfume and he's already becoming more relaxed as he scoots closer to her. 

"Little spoon?" she invites, slumped back into the pillows with her hair loose and framing her face with her arm raised. 

"Who doesn't like being little spoon?" he says softly, laying on his side, wrapping his arm around her back, his head on the pillow.

"True. We can take turns." she yawns. "No reason to get shy now, Eddie." she tells him, snuggling down and putting her hand on the back of his head, putting it on her chest. 

He grunts, face being pushed between her breasts. Letting out a heavy sigh, her cheek rests on his head, her fingers running through his hair as she throws her leg over his body, bringing them front to front. She feels his lashes flutter shut and he pulls her closer, snaking an arm underneath her. They could both feel the touch therapy working already. 

"That's better," she mutters, he feels the heat of her breath travel across his scalp. "Now this is nice." she rubs her face into his hair and the loving gesture makes everything melt away for a little bit for both of them. 

"Very nice." he mumbles into her soft chest. His lips and stubble tickle against her cleavage but she enjoys the contact instead of giggling about the sensation. He could hear her heartbeat, their breathing had synced up and they both thought about the last time they'd felt so connected to a person. For Candace it was with friends, the last time she'd gotten upset and cried and Steph had let her lay on her and cry it all out. For Eddie, it reminded him of Anne. Thinking about her still made him unhappy, but he couldn't help but be endlessly grateful for what Candy was doing for him. 

Being around her made him feel better, thinking about her didn't make him sad like thinking about Anne did. And he'd found himself thinking of Candy more and more often as of late. Much like Anne had in the beginning, Candy made him want to be better than he was. She filled him with praise, asked things of him so he felt useful again, kissed him and talked to him like he was needed and laying in her arms now made him feel both powerful and small at the same time. He was in someone's arms who wanted him to be there, who'd asked him specifically, that said her best friend wasn't a substitute for him and he squeezes her again. She lets out a little grunt, a soft and adorable sound that made his lips twitch with happiness. 

He knew he'd been trying to better himself, to dig himself out of this hole. But it seemed he preferred to do things for other people than himself. So without Anne, he'd lost his way and let himself slip into misplaced guilt and anger and blame. But Candy came along, providing him the much-needed support he'd lost. If she could find it in her to believe in him, he could consider that something good might happen to him again. He wanted to make her proud, show her taking a chance on him while he was down wasn't a mistake. 

He falls asleep thinking about what she'd said after they slept together. A topic that had crossed his mind several times since it'd happened. She wanted him happy again she said, didn't think he should be with anyone until he was. So did that mean that she saw something more than friendship with him? He knew he was a mess right now and he didn't want to weigh her down. She was rising. He was stagnated at the bottom and she deserved someone who was rising too. It was hard for him to separate the growing and shifting feelings he had for her. He knew until he got his shit together that there would be an empty space with a question mark in it where the answer to what he and she were should be. He felt so close to something with the story she was trying to sell, so close to potentially letting go of a past relationship that couldn't serve him any longer. But it was hardest to not feel close to Candy as he was pressed so tightly against her he could hear her heartbeat as he fell asleep.  
\----  
They'd shifted at some point after they'd fallen asleep. Candy now on her side with her head buried in his chest, his arm thrown protectively over her. Their legs were tangled together, one of her's resting between his. He wakes to darkness, blinking and tensing his face before a big yawn escaped him, causing her to wake. She let out a series of spaced little moans as she nuzzled his chest, her arms moving around his waist and her soft thigh pressing into his crotch. At that moment, they both become aware of Eddie's hard on. 

Now Candy didn't take this entirely personally, guys sometimes get hard when they slept, it was just a fact of nature. But in her half-awake state, everything warm, comfortable and surrounded by the smell of a man she felt something stir inside her. 

He knew she had to feel it, her soft thigh was currently pressing into it. He feels her shift, the thigh slowly dragging across him. He feels her hand move down his back, trailing down his hip before reaching back to his ass. Her fingers move up under the hem of his t-shirt.

"Mmm Eddie." he hears her delicate moan of his name and his cock twitches. He was almost certain what that tone meant and he responds by moving his hand down her body to the swell of her hip. "You wanna wait 'til mornin'?" she asks quietly, her hand moving down to graze his thigh over hers. "Or can I have you now?" she exhales against his chest, a kiss he can hear against the exposed skin from the stretched neck of his shirt. 

"Now." he responds in a whisper, hand tightening its grasp on her. In this half-asleep state, he felt a bit bolder. She was so soft and warm, so eager as her fingertips gripped into his back, running down it slowly before they both started kneading on each other's lower halves.

She kisses up his neck, little grunts that make his eyes stay shut, letting them flutter from arousal at the sounds. She scoots up with one push, faces now even on the pillows as they fall into an unrushed and indulgent kiss that lasts longer than they intended it to. It felt so right, the two of them connected without any rush, without the inhibition of being unfamiliar like last time. It was barely a step up from cuddling really, heavy sighs and moans as their hands roamed each other's bodies. 

Feeling herself getting wet, her muscles starting to ache for him, she takes his hand from its place on her breast where he'd been kneading and swiping his thumb lazily. She hitches her leg over his hip, guiding his hand to the soft patch of hair between her thighs. He didn't need further instruction, he knew what she wanted and he was happy to get to show her he knew how to do it. 

He let's out a deep grunt, his head pushing hers back with more force into the pillow as he shifts his body, his fingers sinking between her lips and finding her wet. Noises escape him from enthusiasm for the sensation of the silk surrounding his fingers. Her hand moves to his face, fingers carding through his hair and the other feeling the way his muscles moved in his neck as he kissed her with more fervor. His soft lips melded against hers so deliciously, far less timid than the last time as they bit and sucked at each other. 

He finds her clit with his wide, square-tipped fingers and starts a slow circling, a slight mewl against his lips that he greedily drinks in. She thought to tell him faster but it seemed it was all she needed as she feels that first wave come over her body, the tensing that let her know he was giving her what she needed. It drew an unmistakable moan out of her that he immediately reciprocated. Resting her head back fully on the pillow, she moves her hand down his body to palm him through his tight boxer briefs. His lips find their way to her neck, another moan as she feels the soft muscles work against her. 

As she moves her hand to grip him through the soft fabric of his boxers, he slides his fingers lower, one entering her and her hand pauses as she exhales noisily. Her soft breasts catch his attention as they rise and fall, he mouths over the fabric covering her hard nipples, She quickly pulls down the neckline of the gown and before she has her hand on his cock again he's sucked one of the pink nubs into his mouth, a moan against her skin she can feel expressed in the twitching of him underneath her slow-moving palm. 

"More." she rasps out in a dainty feminine voice. He grunts against her, pushing two fingers inside her as he sucks harder against her skin. The stretch from his fingers making her hips buck. She slips her hand into the band of his underwear, another groan letting go at the hard velvet smoothness of his skin. She wraps her fingers around him and his hand stutters against her at the sensation of her enclosing around him. It'd only been a few weeks since they'd touched each other but in the dark, under the covers, just their panting and nonverbal communication they both knew no matter the actual length of time that it'd simply been too long. 

He withdraws his fingers from her slowly, only moving away for a moment to lower the band under his balls and she hums, hand cupping them as soon as his fingers were back inside her, her nails gently raking across the textured but soft skin. His mouth opens against her breasts, a hot exhale at the feeling, better than any back scratch could be, he melted in the moments they lazily drug their fingers against each other. When she fully grips him, her thumb rubbing over his head still sticky with precum, he nibbles away at her skin, moving back up to her neck and ears before connecting their mouths once again. She pumps away at him, his hips starting to twitch. He pushes his fingers into her fully, his fingers curling inside her, stroking her walls to coax more of the sounds from her that he desired. He wanted to please her, wanted to make her fall apart again. He'd hear her soft moans and how she'd called out his name in his dreams, leading to nights where he'd been alone and imagined her with him, leading to something like this. He lets himself get lost in the fantasy as she whines out his name against his lips. 

"That good, babe?" he whispers into her ear and she feels the tingle travel down her spine, her body shuddering at the unexpected words from him. He wanted to know he was where she needed him, required that praise he lusted after from her whether it was in bed or otherwise. 

"So good, Eddie." she whimpers, her hand still held him and steadily paced. "Just like that." she nods, his lips hovering over hers, watching her eyes half-lidded, gaze up at him. He curls his fingers, she twists her wrists and they moan into each other's mouths with hungry kisses that they get lost in. She whispers, "I want you inside me." as she releases him, her hand sliding on top of his own between her thighs to slow him. "Take 'em off." she says against his lips, a finger tugging the band of his boxers before she quickly turns and shimmy's out of her nightgown as he follows her commands. As she leans to throw the gown off the bed, he takes his shirt off, not wanting to miss an opportunity to be skin to skin with her. If she needed physical contact, he wanted to provide that to her as best he could. 

She pushes her ass back against his hard length, positioning her hips, spreading her legs, one knee bent up and she could feel him stroking himself against her cheeks. "I want it like this." she says, fingers rubbing lazy circles over her clit as he tapped against her wet entrance, making himself much the same. She props her head, her face turned to face his as he notches inside her, his hand quickly traveling up her thigh to hold it steady. Her arm reaches up, fingers moving in his hair, pulling his face towards her as a sloppy kiss turns to heavy panting as he slides inside her with a push of his hips. 

The angle was what she'd wanted, this side by side giving her the opportunity to grind away on him as he planted one of his feet and got the leverage to give her the push she needed. It starts slow, still under the warm cover of blankets, they set a languid tone. His hand moving to her chest, fingers pinching her nipples as he drank up the wordless praise that spilled from her mouth. "I'm not gonna last long like this." she admits as his lips and tongue work against her ear, the intimacy of it that she'd needed, his thorough warming up of her beforehand and the steady pound he was giving her had made her feel weak. This was a welcome weakness, one she didn't let herself indulge in this early into sleeping with someone usually. But Eddie felt different, Eddie listened. Even when she wasn't speaking he was still attentive, anticipating her needs and keeping his hands and mouth occupied with her body. His lips were soft and passive against hers but his hips were sending the sound flesh hitting flesh clearly from under the blankets. As she feels a familiar build within her, the hard punctuations of entry and the well-placed drag out of her make her head fall back. "More, Eddie." she whines, back arching to place him precisely where she needed. 

She continues to rub her clit, wanting the mixed orgasm to take the stress completely out of her and leave her to fall back asleep with him. He reaches to hold her by her inner thigh, his hands firm and sure against the bouncing flesh. She cries out as he hits into her more forcefully. He watches her face from his perch on her shoulder, lips moving against the cap of it as his brow went low in focus, watching her chest bounce and chin push up as he listened to the noises she made. He was comparing them to last time, learning what she needed now.

"Yes." she squeaks, her lips twitching in an almost snarl, he moans into her slick skin as he feels her start to squeeze around him. "Fuck me, that's it." her voice so soft and lustful his eyes flutter shut and he focuses on the sound. "Oh god, don't stop Eddie." he hears her breath catch and the way she whined his name. Tiny little barely audible chants of yeah before her back arches and he sinks his strong hands into her skin, holding himself inside her as she came. She arches against him hard, her hips and thighs shaking this time, he could feel her muscles spasm against him as they were fully pressed against each other. He moves to put an arm around her ribs to keep her close, not slowing with his pace even when her hand reached up to cover his on her breast. He could feel her wave after wave, tight and hot around him that made him want to give in, to shake against her and cry out for her just like she had him. 

"Candy." he groans into her skin. Feeling the racing of her heart under his hand, the shaky breathing as she tried to recover. Knowing he could do this to her gave him a rush, he feels the heat growing between his thighs and a deep moan that's wrenched out of stomach lets him know she's going to do the same for him. He hoped she felt the same rush as she gave him because she made him feel so many things. If he could express or understand all of them, he hoped he could convey how much he appreciated everything she'd given him by making her come, as he knows he doesn't have much else to offer her at the moment. 

She plants her hand onto the bed in front of her. "C'mon Eddie." she rasps, pounding her ass back onto him, having more leverage now. "You feel so good." her voice is breathy, sounding much weaker than the words and her hips indicated. "You made me come so hard baby." she praises and his hips stutter, he was such a sucker for praise. "Now come for me." she coos. She lowers her leg, her thighs now tight around him as his hand grips her hip and he pounds into her. "That's it, give it to me Eddie." her voice is more commanding now, falling back into the roles they settled into when they weren't letting themselves get caught up in emotions and intimacy. She feels his hands hard against her hip, can feel his breath against her back, giving in and pressing his forehead against her shoulder. She could feel his muscles tensing, hear the strain in his voice. 

"Fuck Candy, it's too good." he whines, a weak and higher pitched voice that make her tense around him and hum with satisfaction. "Ah, shit." he gasps, pushing her with a loud grunt, his hand moving back to her chest, holding her close as she reaches back pulls him into her by the thick muscles of his ass. She can feel him convulse against her and she shudders, hearing his moans right by her ear being forced out as he let's go. 

Her grip loosens on him as his does on her. She runs her hand up and down the back of his thigh, as it raises slightly to over her hip, pulling her in close, burying his face in her hair, she could feel his lips press against the nape of her neck. "And we have plenty of time to sleep still." he feels her body shift as she chuckles before she slowly pulling away. She moves to her back, slightly damp and exhausted again, laying against stacked pillows. "C'mere you stud." she giggles and pats her stomach and she swoons as the affectionate and peaceful look on his face. He lays his head on her sternum, settling his upper body on top of her, an arm stretched out and the other hand placed gently against her waist. He gets to hear the whoosh of her blood through her skin, rise and fall with her breathing as her fingertips go through his hair, wiping it off his sweaty forehead, and tracing the shell of his ear. The other hand rests on his shoulder, a slow back and forth that pacifies him entirely. 

She wants to say something like, why can't you live closer so we can do this more often? She got the comfort she needed and the sex and now she could get back to resting and she felt truly calm for the first in weeks. Any other fuck wouldn't have done that, she doesn't want to admit it but it's true. She liked Eddie and although the oxytocin certainly was having its say in how she felt about him, she knew she liked him a little too much for not letting herself date him. She fell asleep listening to his lips blub against her skin as he slept. She dreamed of him getting his life back on track. Of her selling the story, of him getting back to work and being happy again. She dreams of them moving into a much nicer neighborhood, getting to do what they'd just done whenever they wanted, curled up like cats together and hearing soft, sweet words between kisses of the same description from a man she'd also call the same.


	6. Good intentions, bad decisions.

Candy stands behind her desk, mid fist pump in celebration for the news she'd just received. Her section of the office is staring at her through the large glass window that looks into her office with raised brows and concerned expressions. She supposes to anyone on the outside her behavior was abnormal, but she'd just gotten an email about her story being bought by a tv news outlet. So naturally, she'd pushed her chair back from her desk dramatically, stomped her feet and pounded her fists in the air in front of her with a string of grunted and shouted yes's. She straightens her shirt and nods and gives a thumbs up to the onlookers before sitting back down at her desk, her thumbs moving at lightning speed to respond back. 

She goes to the large glass and metal building that looks like every other news station building she'd ever been in. A perky young receptionist, who thankfully was nice this time around. That did differ from the usual behavior and it made her more certain she'd picked the right offer. The amount of money was truly what had made her certain, as she'd held out for a good one for Eddie. 

She feels the weight of the money in the envelope as she moves quickly in a damn near skip to the diner where Eddie is waiting for her. She hadn't told him why she needed to see him for lunch, but he'd accepted without needing a reason. 

He was happy to be seeing her again so soon. After their more intimate and sensual encounter last time, he'd had to pretend it didn't mean so much to him after the fact. She seemed as calm, cool and collected as always but she'd embraced him and kissed him before he'd left, and that felt different. 

Unknown to him, after that kiss, she frowned with her back pressed against the door. She shouldn't have done that, she thought. Should've stayed aloof, not kissed him the same way she had between the covers and his arms the night before after making love to him. She thunks her head against the wall where the coat rack hung. Ugh, why did she have to refer to it as making love? Because that just led to thoughts of... well, love. She hears Steph's voice in her head, "Because that's what it was you dumb bitch." Candy groans to the imaginary tough love her friend was giving her. She texted Steph right after he left, telling her she'd slept with him again and reluctantly told her about the cuddling, about the soft and slow side by side that was usually reserved for long-term relationships. Steph gave her the exact response she'd already heard from her in her head earlier.

He's sitting in a high stool at a table against a wall, already a large basket of fries sits in front of him. She'd said she didn't have a lot of time for lunch but she wanted to see him anyway. Being the considerate man he was, he'd gotten her something she could eat quickly and didn't forget the ranch dipping sauce. He'd teased her about it when he saw her dipping pizza and fries into ranch dressing. Asking her what country shit she was on about as she laughed. "That how you eat out there in the middle of nowhere?" he snarks. She'd shoved him but she understood the sentiment. But then he'd given in and tried it when he was alone. Grabbing the almost expired bottle of ranch out of his fridge, staring down the pizza in front of him and rolling his eyes and going for it. And dammit if she hadn't been right. 

He's been watching the door for a few minutes, lost in thought, wondering why she'd sent so many emojis in her texts and what that meant when she comes into view. Her wardrobe had shifted since getting promoted and he thought it suited her. Tight black jeans with flats and a blazer of the same color with a white button up colored shirt. She looked professional but not stuffy with her minimal makeup and wavy chestnut hair. The smile on her face let him know she was the same Candy no matter what she wore as she beamed even brighter than usual at him as she politely made her way to him through the movement of bodies.

"Hey Eddie!" she chirps, a warm smile on her face as she leans in to hug him and kiss his cheek. This was a new development that she doesn't even realize but blush rises to his cheeks at the affectionate gesture. "Oh!" she lilts as she grabs a few fries and shoves them into her mouth before resituating her bag on her shoulders. 

"You said you didn't have much time so I went ahead and ordered you something." he says watching her riffle through her bag. 

 

"That's really thoughtful of you, thanks." she smiles and glances up at him as her hands stops over something she's found. "I've only got about ten minutes but I had to see you."

The flush stays in his cheeks as his chin pushes back into his neck at her words. "You did?" he huffs out a nervous laugh. 

"I had to tell you this in person, I knew a text or phone call wasn't the way to go." she speaks a little fast, her eyes shifting with what appeared to be anxiety about something.

Did he misread the situation? Was this something bad? He feels a lump in his throat. But she quickly eases his worries before his mind can get carried away as she rests on the table with her elbow as she stands. 

"I've got great news, Eddie." a big grin spreads across her face as she leans in close. 

"Yeah? What's that?" he asks, his eyes curious and his brow raising. 

"I sold the story." she almost squeals, her nose scrunching up to reveal her teeth in an aggressive expression of excitement.

His eyes go wide, his posture straightening, resembling a meerkat popping out of the ground. "You sold it?" his voice booms louder than he means for it to in his excitement.

"I did!" she holds the same expression and nods, putting her hand out on his that rests on his knee. 

"Who? When?" he responds quickly, leaning in closer. 

"I sold it to one of the tv news stations downtown. I know it took longer than I wanted it to but I had to hold out for a good offer." her voice lowers as she tilts her head towards his, her eyes softening as she explains.

"And you got a good offer I take it?" 

"Oh did I." she says with a slow nod and a lower swing of her voice. She reveals an envelope in her hand, placing it onto the table in front of him and he only stares at it a moment before he reaches out to take it. "That's your share." she beams proudly, standing back up straight. 

He feels the weight of it in his hands. He tries to not get his hopes up, but when he opens the envelope revealing the bills to be in mostly hundred form he gulps noisily, flicking through it quickly and discreetly to count it. "Candy..." he rasps out, his eyes wide and meeting her excited ones. "There's two thousand dollars in here."

"I know that, Eddie." she teases with a shake of her head. 

 

"This is just my share?" his voice cracks with the rising of it in his surprise. 

"All yours." she coos out with a proud smile. What she wasn't going to tell him, was that she was giving him way more than she was taking for herself. She didn't want to offend him by telling him this, or risk him declining some of it. He might assume they'd sold it for four thousand or more, but that would've been an ideal situation. She didn't have the pull to warrant such an amount, even thoguh the work was solid and the topic hot, it wasn't like the media was in the business of charity, they would only give as little as they could get away with. He needed the money, not her, so she took some for her trouble and happily gave him the rest. The look on his face made it entirely worth it. 

He lets the fact that he could remain with a roof over his head wash over him. He could at least pay rent and eat if he ignored all his other bills, and at this point that was where he was at. He looks back down to the money, eyes rapidly blinking as she watched his mind going a mile a minute behind them. He looks back up, meeting her kind eyes and he has more heavy emotions wash over him. He takes a deep breath and pursed his lips. She sees his eyes moving across her face and she suddenly felt the air shift around them. Before she can react to him he moves and holds his hands on either side of her face and pulls her face towards his to kiss her. The surprise is apparent on her face as he pulls away from her. 

"Thank you." he says, face leaning close to hers again. 

"You did a lot of the work too Eddie. You don't have to thank me." she says, with a sad smile. "You earned it." she adds quietly, and he saw it in her eyes she believed it. 

"Not just for this." his brow furrows and he stands from the tall chair, and wraps his arms around her. He can't see the confused look on her face as it's pressed against him. She pouts and returns the embrace. 

"Eddie?" she asks sweetly. "You okay babe?" she huffs out as he loosens his grip on her. 

"I am now." he looks down at her and sighs. "Thanks to you." he adds earnestly with a nod of his head. Her pout shifts into a bashful looking smile as he kisses her cheek. As if he's snapped out of a trance, realizing he's just kissed her public, he sits back down, his hands on his knees nervously, fingers tapping and leg bouncing. "What am I doing?" he nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. "You need to eat somethin' and I'm taking up all your time." he says pushing the plate towards her and motioning to the seat across from him. 

"I can eat at the office." the same bashful smile on her face as she shakes her head. She hesitates to add her next thought out loud, but it seems the kiss drew it out of her. "I just wanted to see you." she shrugs and her lips twitch into a smile. "Needed to see you to give you that." she motions to the envelope in his hands. "I wanted to see your reaction in person." she adds. "I see that was a good decision." a bigger grin that shows her teeth comes across her face. 

It was his turn to look shy again, as he smiles and looks down at the table. "Yeah, I...I really, really needed this, Candy." he says quietly. "It's not just the money." he shakes his head for a moment. 

She reaches out to his surprise and runs her fingers through his hair, hand resting on his stubble covered cheek before she speaks. "I know." she says softly. He'd needed some good news and her heart was racing with the satisfaction of being able to help facilitate its arrival. "I get it." she says, leaning in to kiss his cheek and she feels his lashes flutter shut against her skin. 

"Thanks for that too." he adds before she's even pulled away from him. 

"We'll celebrate soon okay?" she says with excitement in her voice. "I should get back to work but we'll get together soon. Promise." she adds with high brows, finally moving her hand from his face. 

"I'm buyin'." he says with more certainty in his voice and it makes her laugh. 

"You're buyin'." she nods in agreement, refraining from kissing his charming face again. 

\----------------

With Candy busy he's been occupying himself with putting his resume back out there again, brainstorming ideas for videos to make on his own since he'd learned so much from Candy on the technical side of the production. He goes out and wanders the city as he used to years ago, watching and listening. He finds himself in Anne's neighborhood and discovers himself falling into the old habit of his feet carrying him to her door without having to put much thought into it. He stands and looks up into the window that not that long ago was the bedroom they shared. The cat sits in the windowsill, tilting his head as if to ask him where he'd been. He gives a little wave to him as if he might reciprocate. 

With his luck, Anne pulls up behind him as he's lost in thought with his hands shoved into his pockets. He doesn't mean to, but as he sees her, softly lit by the street lights he feels that tug in his chest. That old familiarity that felt so good at one point in time. He meets her new boyfriend, but of course, she had one. She was a catch and that was a piece of what hurt so bad about the whole situation. Her boyfriend seems like a nice guy, she deserved a nice guy. He was a surgeon so naturally he felt inadequate with that piece of information given to him. 

He doesn't mean to, but the words that had sat in his stomach for months come out. The cliche I love you and I miss you confessions are muttered with an apologetic look that used to get him what he wanted. When he says it he means it. In the moment it seemed like something he should say, as he'd thought about saying those things to her for so long and never had the chance. But as she gives him the hard truth, it's over, it's your fault. He winces and it hurts all over again. As he walks home he thinks about her words. It was his fault, it wasn't Drake's. If he'd just listened, not let his selfish and spontaneousness get the best of him, practiced some self-control he wouldn't have been blacklisted. His self-pity was hanging over him heavy again. 

But he wasn't so preoccupied within his own thoughts that he wouldn't notice a face that kept popping up around every corner he took. He was being followed. He'd been the one doing the following before, so he knew what to look for. But this person sucked at it. He knew it wasn't some weird paranoia creeping in as a by-product of his own guilt that had been weighing heavily on him for blocks. He heads inside to double check before he gives away where he lives and surely they follow him into Chen's corner store. 

Dr. Skirth approaches him with her new first-hand witness information on Drake. Having the thoughts of Drake so fresh in his mind, it makes him angry. He wanted this shit behind him. He didn't want to hear about Drake, he didn't want to think about him and he wanted it all to disappear. He reacts with his anger and his hurt and tells her to leave him alone, but she wisely forces her card on him before she leaves him with his thoughts. 

He doesn't go home, he's too worked up to. He has every sort of emotion running through him. He contemplates his anger, his sadness, and he wonders where the happiness is in his life. And that's when Candy comes into his mind. As he finds himself standing over the water on the bridge, glaring at the Life Corporation nestled into the California hills, he sees two options before him. A beginning or an end. He'd been so focused on what had passed, Drake and Anne, that he'd overlooked the possible future, Candy. 

Driven by a need to prove himself that runs as far back as he can recall, he knows he has a decision to make. Despite a couple thousand dollars and his bike, he didn't have much that could be taken from him now. Candy wasn't his when it came down to it. If he decided to try to prove himself and failed, she wouldn't be really losing anything as he didn't' really consider himself something someone could miss at this point. But if Skirth was right and he could be the one to break the story with a more than credible witness and source... the rewards would be life-changing. He'd be off the blacklist, he'd be paid, he'd be respected again. Anne would know he wasn't a failure. Candy would see him as she had before she knew what a mess he was, as someone that was going somewhere. And he wanted to be that again desperately. He wanted it for himself, he wanted it for her. Because if he could have all that again, maybe he could have her too. If he was willing to take a leap of faith, he could possibly have everything he wanted. That left him with only one choice in the matter in his mind. He takes out his phone and calls Dr. Skirth.   
\---------------  
Eddie hadn't texted her in two days and even though she was sidetracked, when she was alone in her apartment she certainly noticed the silence without the beeps and humming vibrations from her phone. Their evening check-ins were a highlight of her day and without them, and now with no response at all, she was getting legitimately worried about him. So worried she digs out her police scanner and lets it bark and crackle through the night for anything that could possibly be any news about Eddie.   
\----  
His phone rings, and he sees it's Candy. He knows she's texted but with all the unreal shit that's been happening to him, he hadn't even thought about bringing her into it. But he knows it's been two days and he knows she must be worried. So despite being covered in vomit and drenched in sweat, his head pounding so hard he could barely focus, he answers the phone.

"Hey, Candy." he wrenches out.

"Oh thank fucking Christ, Eddie.I've been so worried."

"Yeah... I'm sorry 'bout that..." he groans. 

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" she asks hurriedly, her voice full of concern and it makes his heart rate slow just slightly. 

"Apparently I'm sick." he says with his face contorting in pain. "I went to a doctor, I'm gonna get some help. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm fine." he wheezes out and he doesn't believe him.

 

"You need me to come over? You don't sound good Eddie. I've got food and leftovers and all sorts of medicine..."

He cuts her off. "No, no don't worry about me Candy I'll be fine. I've got a doctor, it'll be good. I'm just... I'm really, really tired, sorry." he sighs out, slumping onto the kitchen counter. "My heads all fuzzy and I'm dizzy and starving and somehow sick at the same time?" his voice inflects and cracks. 

"Are you... are you SURE?" she asks with a serious tone, he knows she isn't buying it but he can't manage to do any better than he is in his current state

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll call you if I do, alright?" he stumbles over tothe fridge. 

"Please. Let me know you're okay. Don't let it get too bad or anything alright? I'll take you to the hospital or something if you need just, text me when you can okay?" she says slightly irritated but he can feel how much she cares in her voice and it makes his head throb harder. 

"I will, Candy." There's a silence from her end for a moment.

"Okay. You keep fluids in you and get rest okay?" she says in a motherly tone. "I'll talk to you later." she adds.

"I will. That's what I'm doin'." he nods even though she can't see him. "I will talk to you later." he manages before he hangs up.   
\------

Hours later when she hears his street come through her breath catches as she sits on the floor on her knees and waits to hear more. Incidents all over the city, a break in, destruction of property, bodies and traffic collisions in mass. She texts him in all caps, " PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOU'RE OKAY! IM HEARING THE CRAZIEST SHIT ON THE POLICE SCANNER AND IM WORRIED." she makes herself some tea as she feel nauseous and sticks her head in the freezer to try to cool off and calm herself down. 

She only sleeps after taking a few hits of a particularly sedating strand of medical grade weed she had from Steph. It lets her relax enough to get some sleep, ensuring she didn't worry herself to death and was able to function the next day. Because she still had to work no matter what her friends might get themselves into.   
\-----------  
The next day she's hit with more worrisome information. People in the office talking about a madman on a joy ride on his motorcycle taking out whole neighborhoods as he was violently pursued by an army of unmarked vehicles. The police weren't saying anything about it now, no one could get anyone to talk and it all felt extremely suspicious. She sits and puts her noise canceling headphones on to drain out everything else, her phone within eyesight so if Eddie hopefully decided to simply wake up from his medically induced coma and call her she wouldn't miss it. There was a madman on the loose in the city, a possible government conspiracy or cover-up of some kind and she was sitting and writing a column about the "beautification" of a park in an already gentrified neighborhood she didn't care about. But no matter what there were still deadlines coming up, things she had to get done and as someone who wasn't on the bottom floor now, she had to handle her responsibilities first. 

She marks things off her to do list as quickly as possible and with an hour left in her usual office time, she spends it making calls. Every police station was mum about the whole thing, she called every hospital and none had an Eddie Brock registered. This both calmed her and gave her more questions. It'd taken her hours and she was far past the normal time to leave but she still needed closure. She decides to do the only other thing she can think of, and that's going to Eddie's apartment. 

When she makes her way down the street she sees the broken police tape around his building and she has to stop and control her breathing. She digs an old press badge out from a previous newspaper she worked for and ties it around the strap of her bag. There's only one cop car, no signs of movement in his apartment from the windows she can see, but one is busted out and she wrings her hands, picking at her nails and trying not to start crying. 

She goes the long way around to the side of the building with the fire escape, not wanting to deal with the cops or even be seen by them at this point. She didn't exactly want her face attached to this mess, whatever it was, if there even was one. She scopes the alleyway and doesn't see his bike, which once again, brings a strange sense of both calm and worry to her. She tries to be quiet but she would bet this fire escape wasn't up to code with how to groaned and shifted under her weight as she tried to be as light as possible.

She finds Eddie's window, he had no curtains so it wasn't hard. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, seeing the room in disarray from the foggy, dirty and blood-spattered glass in front of her. She tries to open it but fails, he was at least smart enough to keep his windows locked. But now she was going to have to add breaking and entering into the possible charges of trespassing or tampering with evidence if she got caught. She chews her lip, considering how to break open this window. She takes a scarf out of her bag, usually backup cover for the cold, blustery nights by the bay, but it would now serve her as a means of protecting her hand as she busted the glass into his apartment. Knowing a bit about burglary from reading and watching true crime and the sort of work she was in, she tried to take precautions. It wasn't an ideal situation but she wasn't going to leave and try coming back, not when Eddie could possibly be in trouble. With the night settled in, she at least at the darkness as cover and the rising sounds of a busy nightlife she hoped she'd be okay. She pulls her hair back and takes off her blazer, holding it up against the window to try to muffle some sounds and protect her hand further. The last thing she needed was her blood or DNA to be left here. She places keys in between her fingers, and takes a deep breath after a few practice punches and goes for it. It's nowhere near silent but the cloth of the blazer id manage to help, most of the glass falling inside the room and not down the fire escape, which she figured was the best approach.

She reaches up, scarf still over her hands and pulls the window up. She replaces her blazer, puts her bag back over her shoulders and shakes the glass out of the scarf as she gets inside. The place was wrecked. Every surface turned over, the couch cushions cut, everything weak enough to be smashed was, including the front door. She steps carefully to not leave any shoe prints. With the way even his bed was tossed and cut, she knew someone was clearly looking for something. She only found more questions as she looked over the apartment and no answers. She sees burnt tater tots in the corner of the kitchen, and amidst all the damage it seemed out of place. So he got interrupted she assumes. It had to have been after she got off the phone with him, which meant there was about a twenty-four hour window that this had happened. She had no way to track him, no one to call to see if they knew where he was, she was left with no answers and she holds backs tears, rubbing her face and heading back out the window at how helpless she felt. 

She sleeps with her phone on high vibrate and as loud as possible. She doesn't want to miss anything from him. She lays in bed for hours, nothing but worry and the worst possible scenarios running through her head, even after calling the police stations and hospitals for the second time. 

She smokes again and cries, looking at the old texts from him for some sort of sign. What could he have possibly gotten into that would lead to something like this happening? She cries herself to sleep praying that he wasn't dead.


	7. Phenethylamine and gray areas.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie gets Venom and his old job back. He has to figure out how to deal with being with Venom and Candy, or if he can manage it at all.

After crawling back to his apartment after losing venom, Eddie feels a new sort of emptiness, like he'd lost a friend. He wasn't sure how he felt, he'd never had to sacrifice his life to save the planet before, so he wasn't sure how he should feel. But he certainly had never wanted anyone or anything, specifically an alien symbiote that had fought to keep him and the entire planet alive to get hurt for his sake. He had to find solace that for what they'd done the planet was safe again for now.

He drags his feet, going the back way up the stairs into his building. He pushes one of the tossed tables up against the door that was half off its hinges with a hole knocked through it and sighs. He felt so exhausted, in every sense of the word. He'd been pouring sweat while he was bonded with Venom, sure, but he'd kept him running so well despite the trauma that in the short time they'd been together it was easy to forget just how shitty you could feel as a lone human. 

He moves slowly, putting his ripped mattress back onto the frame of the bed. Hauling his weak body to his bathroom, he manages to take a shower, standing with his head against the wall and letting the water hit him in an attempt to process the past few days he'd had. He finds clean clothes, mismatched sweats, and a hoodie then proceeds to collapse into the lumpy bed. He'd worry about starting over tomorrow, but for now, he needed to sleep. 

When a bang at the half-broken door wakes him up the next day he lets out a groan that isn't voluntary. He wanted to stay asleep and not have to face the degree of loss that awaited him in reality. As he pushes his way to the door, he sees his former boss with a very confused look on his face, eyeballing him from the hallway.  
"What the hell happened here Brock?" he asks as if it's Eddie's fault.

"Did you find my phone?" he asks, with a sassy attitude, pulling the table away from the door to let him in. 

"Yeah, that's why I'm here....shithead." he says with a frown and heavy sarcasm. 

"I got a source this time." he begins, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "Or...had a source I guess." he mumbles, looking wearily to the other man in a pressed suit. 

"First, tell me what happened here?" he questions as his eyes scan over the wrecked room.

"You saw what was on the phone, what do you think happened here? They found out and came after me."

"And they didn't catch you? Why are a back here now? Won't they come looking for you?" he asks with disbelief Eddie seems so indifferent to his situation. 

"I don't think they will." he shakes his head, eyes shifting as he sighs heavily. "They... well..." his voice inflects upwards and his face twists into an unsure frown. "You're probably gonna be hearin' all kinds of crazy shit comin' outta the Life Foundation pretty soon so..." he shrugs and purses his lips. 

"That crazy shit have anything to do with you?" he suggests with raised brows.

"I mean... yeah, it's possible." he looks up at the ceiling and plays coy but he's bad at it. 

"So this on this phone is real?"

"Oh yeah." he nods enthusiastically. "That and then some." he lets out a mad sounding chuckle. 

"And you came to me with this? The man who fired you?" he asks with confusion.

"You got the network behind you, you can go places with this I can't."

"Do you want to go places with me on this? You started this mess after all."

"I mean I do... but... also no." he pouts and looks at the ground, thinking of how exhausted he was with the whole situation. Drake was dead, Riot was dead, Venom was dead, the other symbiotes were dead and he's guessing much of the Life Foundation would be going the same. "I want to protect other people from having to go through that but... Drake took everything from me, man."

"I'm aware. I thought you'd want revenge."

"Eh..." he his face snarls slightly. "I kinda already got that."

"Okay, what does that mean?"

"I told ya... you'll be hearin' all sorts of thing soon I bet. You should take the story and run with it, they won't be able to hide if they have someone hounding them in the press. I don't know how any amount of PR could cover up what happened."

"We can give you protection against Drake if that's what you're worried about. You clearly.... went through a lot to get this."

"I'm not worried about Drake anymore." he says with raised brows, trying to be vague and not say he and his alien friend stopped a plot to destroy the planet and now Drake and all the work he had done was currently dead in the water. "But you should take the story though. I'll help behind the scenes with it, but I don't want my face all over the place anymore." he shakes his head as if he's upset. 

"Why not? Your whole point was getting the truth out there in YOUR words before."

"I know." he nods, his voice quiet. "I just... I need a break I guess, man." he sighs. "I want to help, I really, really do I just... not like I used to." 

"Okay." the other man says with narrowed eyes, wondering what the hell Eddie had been through but he clearly didn't want to tell him about it. "So... you want to come back? I'll need you to start something of this magnitude."

"Come back? To work? With you?" his voice high pitched an in disbelief at the suggestion.

"Yeah, you clearly need some help here. You look like shit, you've clearly been through it and I think you deserve to have your job back with how this is playing out. Along with some apologies that may or may not be forthcoming but... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"So you're offering me a job again?"

"Yes. I'll need your help on this, you're the only man on the inside I have. I have the photos..." he holds up Eddie's phone. "But I need the stories behind them." he states obviously. 

"Well..." he rubs his temples. "I can do that. How about I write it out? Let me process that shit I've been through. As you so beautifully put it."

"I can work with that. We'll need to work these up and start a package on it." he nods, thinking about the logistics. "As a personal apology how about I get you back on the payroll." he looks around at his wrecked apartment. "I know you haven't worked in months and picking up some shifts as a dishwasher isn't going to cover this." he motions to the room. "You start working on writing your story, your experiences and whatever else you can think of. Witnesses, victims, cover-ups, anything you got I'm willing to hear."

"Now you're all ears." he snarks.

"Well now you have proof, dumbass!" he says loudly but with a laugh in his voice. "You've got photographic evidence and a source. It's not hearsay you could've pulled off of some conspiracy forum on Reddit. You've got something solid to work with here." he says, sliding Eddie's phone across the counter to him. 

Eddie picks up his phone, looking to see all the missed calls and texts. "Oh shit, Candy." he whispers.

"Yeah... whoever Candace is she's seriously pissed at you. You should... probably handle that." he says with a chuckle, heading towards the door. "Don't want to get you back just to lose you in a domestic homicide." he grins. 

"Yeah." he drags out, thumb scrolling through the increasingly angry messages. 

"I'll be in touch." he says, making his way through the door. "Your info still the same? Bank and all?" 

"Yeah. The...single one, not the joint one." he frowns. 

"Yeah I heard about that too." he says more solemnly. 

Eddie nods and sighs heavily.

"I'll try to get this going today, get you back on the list so you can get in the building and everything. Just be sure to work on that write-up. I'll need to start working on releases." he wags his finger.

"Yeah, I will. Give me a few days I'll call you or somethin', alright?"

"Alright." he says with a final nod, pulling the door to but it only creaks back open.

He moves to get a glass of water, frowning when he sees the last bag of tater tots and rips it open. He turns over some things in his apartment, sweeps up the glass and puts cardboard over the windows, using the leftover duct tape to try to make a semi-usable door.

He needed the time to gather himself to figure out what the hell to tell Candy. He couldn't tell her the truth, it was all so crazy he wasn't sure even he believed it. 

"Believe it." he hears a familiar voice in his head, barely a whisper.

 

"HOLY SHIT!" he screeches, feet leaving the floor as his back sinks into the couch."V-Venom?" his voice squeaks.

"Yes." he hears simply. 

"I thought you were?! But you?! You're ALIVE?!" he says frantically, looking around the room then to his body for any sign of him.

"Barely." he says. 

"You been here this whole time?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say something?!"

"Too weak." he sighs. 

"Oh my God. Oh my... Okay... Alright." Eddie says fast, his heart rate rising, his hands clenching his torso to try to reach Venom somehow. 

"We almost died. Had to keep us alive. Required time." he says softly.

"So the fall it..." he nods, trying to control his breathing. 

"Would've killed, Eddie. Couldn't let it." he whines.

"So you almost died so I... wouldn't?" he asks, his voice breaking at the touching gesture.

"Yes." Venom responds. 

"Aw, man. Ah, Venom you..." he sighs heavily. "What uh..what do you need, dude? How can I help?" he asks softly, his hands on his own face since he couldn't touch his friend. 

"To eat." he moans. 

"What do you need, I don't have anything here. We can go get some take out?" he asks with confusion.

"Need something specific." he hisses.

"Oh are we back on eating people again. Without you doin' the...the..whooshy body armor thing I can't really eat anybody." he says as if he's afraid to upset him.

"You call it Phenethylamine." it states.

"Finna what?"

"What is needed. To be healthy. Phenethylamine." it stats clearly. 

"I thought you needed brains and, organs and stuff?"

"It is why I need them."

"Okay lemme..." he gets out his phone and opens google. "What was that again dude?" he asks

"Phene-thy-lamine."

Eddie googles the word, "This what you're talkin' about?" he asks, opening up a page of its sources.

"Yes."

"Okay...Human brains, yeah got that. Chocolate. Chocolate we can do! Chocolate is easy."

"Then Chocolate Eddie."

"Says you can get it in supplements, in proteins. You don't like dead stuff though."

"Prefer alive."

"Chocolate it is then." he says with a more certain shrug before rising from the couch and heading out to find a shit load of chocolate.  
\-------  
Eddie makes his way to Mrs. Chen's store, where upon first site she tells him he looks like shit. He agrees with a pout of his lips and a nod and proceeds to bring the whole boxes of the displays of chocolate they have. 

"Are you okay Eddie?" she asks with narrowed eyes.

"I mean, I've been better." he shrugs and looks out the window.

"These aren't going to make you feel better, you know." she says in a condescending drag to her words, assuming he was falling into another depression.

"Well, they're not all for me."

"Oh?" she sounds unimpressed.

"Yeah, I got... a friend who likes 'em. Wanted to buy a bunch for 'em." he nods and chews on his bottom lip with impatience. 

"This friend real or are you lying?" she bluntly asks. 

"Oh no, they're real." he nods, his voice higher pitched with defensiveness. 

"Is this some weird romantic gesture you kids are doing now? Entire cases of chocolate when it's not Valentine's Day? More irony from the millennials?" she smirks.

"No. We just like chocolate." he shrugs and keeps a polite expression on his face. 

She doesn't ask any further questions and Eddie's grateful. He thanks her, tips her and jogs back to his apartment. He starts with the plain chocolate bars, chomping one down as fast as he can. 

"This isn't gonna make me sick is it?"

"I would not intentionally make us sick."

"Thanks, but I'm eatin' these... not so much you with your big scary mouth and teeth 'n all that. You could eat a lot more of them, a lot faster than I can."

"Be quiet and keep eating them Eddie."- he responds flatly. 

Eddie rolls his eyes and continues to scarf down bar after bar. If only his childhood self could see him now. More candy than any Halloween ever yielded and with the ability to never get a stomachache from it ever again. Little Eddie would've been jealous.

"What is Halloween?" Venom asks, still intaking information at all times from every source he could, including Eddie's thoughts.

"Oh, it's a holiday humans celebrate. Kids go out and ask for candy door to door, you say trick or treat and they give you treats."

"You ask strangers for chocolate and they give you chocolate?" he clarifies.

"Yeah, people dress up in costumes and adults drink and you watch scary movies and stuff. It can be fun." he nods, mumbling his words through chocolate glazed lips. 

"Costumes?" he inquires. 

"Yeah you can dress up as fictional characters or as something scary or as a real person. It's like a disguise."

"Please clarify these costumes Eddie. Imagine some."

So Eddie complies and all that comes to mind is a bed sheet ghost and a girl dressed up as sexy nurse he'd made out with years ago. 

"These... are confusing." Venom states.

"I'll try again." Eddie thinks of his own costumes as a kid, from the scary to superheroes. He thinks of the historical figures he sees on the street that time of year and girls in clothes too tiny for the weather outside. "See... lots of different ones. Anyone can be anything." he says taking a big drink of water to try to wash down the sugary bars. 

"I think I understand." he says quietly, seeing many drunk nights spent in cheap face makeup from Eddie's thoughts. "This is fun for you humans." he says with an almost judgemental tone.

"For a lot of people yeah, not everyone." he feels what he thinks if a nod from Venom inside him. "How are you doing there? Still need more?"

He feels a stretch inside him he didn't think he'd ever feel again. Like a shiver and the good feeling from stretching your muscles all in one. He sees the black tendrils begin to dot his forearms, the soundless movement of the black, glossy body of Venom beginning to appear, running down his hands to envelop them and take a chocolate bar from him. 

"Eddie." he hears the familiar rumble from the salivating mouth of his alien companion. A smaller but still intimidating blob shaped head snakes out from his shoulder, leaning down towards to reaching surging fingers it'd created to place the bar into its mouth. 

"Hey," Eddie says softly, looking at the symbiote with big thankful eyes. He begins opening chocolate bars, which soon ceases as Venom just pours the boxes of them into his mouth. The loud chomping, choking and pulverizing noises a bit grotesque, but the other option was being without the reflecting creature and Eddie knew he didn't want to be without him. He'd saved him, they'd saved each other. And together they'd saved the whole planet. Eddie had always thought he could be a hero, doing good was what his work was about but being forced into the role of it, seeing what it actually took he realized that wasn't precisely what he'd been looking for. He wanted to help others but he found himself not wanting the glory like he had before. Perhaps having an exterior of a shiny shifting, almost formless obsidian body made him a bit camera shy. "Feeling better there, man?" he asks.

"Much better." he says, the head now more defined and larger, the opal eyes clear and shifting as they studied their hosts face. They look at each other for a moment, Eddie isn't entirely sure what to say. 

"I'm glad you're back." he decides to say. "I was... really upset."

"Yes." Venom says his head tilting and inching closer to Eddie's. "We were there." he states matter of factly. 

"I..." he purses his lips. "I missed you." he admits, his brow furrowing.

"We missed us too." he says moving to slide across Eddie's cheek and he feels like blushing. 

"We need to figure out how to keep that.. phene stuff in us." Eddie says with a sigh, taking out his phone again.

"Brains. Bodies." Venom states obviously.

"We can't go around just eating people. We'll have to figure something out."

"But we've eaten people before. What difference does it make?"

"Those were bad people. Those people were trying to kill us."

Venom is a fan of how Eddie is referring to them both as a singular unit. No other hosts had done this for him. "Bad people?"

"You know. People who do bad things."

"Define bad?"

"People who want to hurt others. The opposite of good people. Good people try to help, they want others to be happy and healthy. Bad people don't want that. They only look out for themselves, they want to hurt others, be mean and cheat and lie and be unfair and they don't feel bad about it."

"So there are good and bad people?"

"Yeah. There are lots of good people." he says seeing the messages from Candy.

"Like this... Candy." Venom hums. "But Candy... we eat Candy."

"No! No we don't eat this Candy!" Eddie says quickly shaking his head.

Venom turns to look at Eddie's phone. "But you went and bought us candy. We just ate Candy."

"This is a person! We like her, she's our friend, we don't eat friends. She's a good person."

"We do like her." Venom says, seeing her through Eddie's thoughts. "She is a human female like Anne." he states.

"Yes. Yes she is."

"We like her like we liked Anne."

"Well.. I... uh..." Eddie stutters. "It's a little complicated."

"No, it is not." Venom snarks. "We enjoy this female." 

"Don't call them females, it's weird."

"But they are. You are male. They are female. They have similar biological functions but different organs and physical features."

"Female sounds... insulting. Certain bad people call women, or girls females and it's meant in an insulting way."

"But we do not mean it that way."

"Doesn't mean you get to say it just because you don't mean it that way. You have to take into consideration what people feel when you speak to them."

"So she is a... woman." he says slowly. "A woman who makes us feel like Anne."

"She... I like her, yes. But as you can tell we weren't..." Eddie sighs and frowns. "We weren't together like Anne and I were." he shakes his head.

Venom processes this new information. "Only one big difference between these two fe- women."

"What ones a brunette and one's blonde?" Eddie chuckles.

"One makes you sad... and the other does not." he states far too calmly for the meaning behind the statement that hits Eddie in the gut. "There has been less time spent with Candy. Who's name is deceiving. Are you sure she is not bad? She lies about being something we are allowed to eat." he says in an offended tone and it makes Eddie laugh.

"It's short for her full name of Candace. It's a nickname, something shorter than full names that friends call each other."

Venom hums and nods. "We need to contact her." his tendril taps the screen. "She has been trying to reach us."

"I know." he sighs. "She's going to be mad at me. And I'm afraid she'll make me sad just like Anne did." he admits. What was the point of hiding when he lived in his head? There wasn't one. 

"Why? We were trying to save this planet. Why would this anger her?"

"Because I've not responded to her in days and I can't tell her about us."

"Why not?"

"Because... she might not believe me and think I'm crazy. Or it'll scare her and she won't talk to me again.

"Bad people lie Eddie."

"It's not as black and white as that, man." he groans. "I don't want her to get hurt because of us. We can be dangerous."

"We would not let anything happen to us or her. She is good. A friend. We will protect her." he says optimistically and Eddie tries to think about what he means to say. "Call her." he taps the screen again.

"Okay. But don't interrupt me okay? Don't talk to distract from the call alright? I gotta figure out how to do this."

"How to lie." Venom says judgementally.

"Yes. Fine. Lying Yes. WE're lying alright? But it's to protect her."

Venom closes the slit of his mouth to signify he would be quiet. Two large pearly eyes stare at Eddie as he plots a lie.  
\----  
She screams when she sees his name and drops the phone as she tries to answer. "EDDIE?!" she gasps into the phone. 

"Yeah, Candy it's me." he lets his voice sounds raspy and sick. 

"Holy fucking shit dude where have you been?!" she whimpers into the phone and her worried tone makes his stomach ache. He misses a time where he could've blamed the pounds of chocolate he'd just consumed into of knowing it was guilt. 

"I've been in the hospital." he says softly.

"No you haven't." she says sharply.

His back pricks up and he can see Venom's eyes shifting at him. "Uh... yeah I have?" he says unconvincingly. 

"I called all the hospitals Eddie and none of them had you in as a patient." she states factually. Oh, shit this was going to be harder than he thought. 

"When they found me I was unconscious, they didn't know who I was." he offers. 

"Found you?" her voice more concerned.

"Yeah apparently I had this parasite." he begins and Venom growls inside his head as he pushes his antagonizing head away, standing from the couch to try to focus better. "And it made me do all kinds of messed up shit and-"

"Like trash your apartment?" she asks.

Ugh. She was good, he thought. His face winces. "Yeah I got back and apparently I did all this." he rubs the back of his neck and shrugs at Venom who is looking around at the damage. A tendril extends and sits a salt shaker right side up on the counter. 

"You? By yourself? How?"

"Apparently the parasite had some stuff that messed with my brain."

Venom's eyes narrow and he knocks the shaker over at the use of the word again and Eddie rolls his eyes. 

"Okay..." she says not entirely convinced. "Then what was with the police tape and all that?"

"Well, I didn't know I did it until I got back so I guess my neighbor called the cops. But I told them I wasn't here so...that's that I guess." he mumbles. 

He hears her sigh loudly. "So you're...okay?" she asks with a shake of her head with a confused look on her face.

"I'm still healing, ya know. Real tired and they got me on medicine that makes me feel like shit but... yeah?" he huffs out a soft laugh. 

"Facetime me." she states.

"Huh?"

"Facetime me. I honestly don't know if I believe you and I want to see you."

He looks with panicked eyes to Venom. "You... uh... I mean, I'm sick I look like shit, Candy." he tries to give as an excuse.

"Not going to work with me. Facetime me. I'm hanging up. Call me back." And with that she hangs up. Leaving him stuttering and looking to Venom.

"She knows we're lying." he grins.

"No shit." Eddie spits out. Venom feels the wave of worry and sadness and the smile fades. He uses his tendrils to mess up Eddie's hair. He starts to sweat heavily and feels his face flush. "What? What's goin' on?" he asks with squinted eyes.

"If she does not believe us it will make us sad. We don't want to be sad." he says. "So we are sick."

"She can't see you." he says with circles growing under his eyes. Venom slinks back inside Eddie rather obediently, waiting to see how this unfolded. "Hey." Eddie says quietly. 

Candy winces at the sight of him. "Oh..." she says with an apologetic frown. "Yeah you do look like shit, babe." she says with a sigh. 

Venom feels the flutter of his heart at the pet name. 

"Thanks?" he tilts his head and gives her a slight smile. 

"I don't mean. I just..." she let's out a big sigh. He sees her rest her chin in her hand and shut her eyes, shaking her head. "I was so fucking scared Eddie. I thought you were dead." she says more seriously. Her eyes opening to reveal a veil of tears. 

"I'm... I'm sorry Candy." he whispers and Venom pays close attention, the emotions Eddie was going through were new to him. He wanted to learn more about this new human in their lives. "I wasn't myself. I had this crazy high fever apparently it caused memory loss and for me to like, rabid basically." he says with unconvincing inflections but he looked so bad she had to believe him. 

"Are you gonna be okay? I mean, long-term?"

"I mean they let me go and I was stable and they gave me medicine so I'm guessing so?" he rubs his face.

She pouts at the squishy softness of his face and lips as he moves it around and grunts. She missed that adorable face. "I'm glad you're okay. But if you disappear like that again I'll kill you myself alright?" she says with a huff of air and a smile that showed how worried she'd been as she wipes at her face. 

"You were really worried huh?" he says softly, a crooked smile that makes her want to whine, thinking she'd never see it again. 

"YES!" she says loudly, putting the phone close to her face. "You big dummy, why wouldn't I be?" she says obviously. "You're like... y'know one of my best friends." she admits and Venom feels Eddie' heart pick up speed. "I care about your parasitic ass, dude." she laughs and shakes her head. 

"If it's within my control I won't do it to ya again." he says with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry."

"I believe you." she says with a sigh. "Do you need me for anything? Or are you like, contagious or..?" she asks with a subtle shake of her head. 

"Nah I'm, I think I'm okay. I got the apartment kind've...put back together."

"You want me to bring you some food or something?" 

He feels Venom in a flash of excitement inside him. "Nah the place is a wreck, I'm a mess, I'm sure both things smell." he chuckles softly. 

"If you do need anything, I mean anything Eddie, you text me, call me, at me, anything." she says with a sweet smile that makes him sigh audibly. 

"I will. I promise."

"That what you said last time and you disappeared and left thousands of dollars of property damage behind." she teases.

"Yeah." he drags out. "I'll text you, how about that? I'll let you know I'm alive that way." he offers with the same crooked smile

"That would be great actually. Text me at let me know you're alive at least once a day, please. No matter when it is." she emphasizes. "It's the least you can do after making me freak out and worry the past few days."

"It's not much but I can't do much right now." he admits. "But I'll text you. Promise. I need to sleep some more right now though."

"Alright, I'll let you go. You take care of yourself, okay. PLEASE?" she says with big eyes. 

"I will, yeah, I will." he nods. 

"Stay alive Eddie. I'll talk to you soon." she says puckering her lips to the screen of his sleepy face. 

"You will. Bye Candy." he says, tapping out of the call. 

"She is good."-Venom hums as he forms out to Eddie's side again. "Even though she called us parasitic. But that was your fault, Eddie."

"She is, man, yeah." He takes a deep breath, the sweating stopping and his energy coming back. 

"She wanted to help you. Take care of you. This is what friends do?"

"Yeah." he says, feeling sad, worrying about what he would do next, how to avoid her, how or if he should or could tell her.

"She wants us alive. Same as we do. She is good. She would understand. That is what friends do yes? Like Anne. They help because they are good. They care. The other female Anne accepted us, helped us. Why would this one not? She is not even paired with another human mate." 

"Different people react differently to things, man, I don't know what to tell ya..." he makes the excuse, rubbing the back of his head. 

"The truth." he says with a hint of sarcasm, when had he picked up on sarcasm? "From you, Eddie." Eddie rolls his eyes. 

"Man I'm just..." he groans and puts his face in his hands. "Overwhelmed."

"Afraid." he whispers leaning into Eddie's face. 

"Ugh, can't you like...not read my thoughts for two seconds?" he asks with a snappy tone.

"No." he simply answers. 

"Won't or can't?" he murmurs in a childish retort. 

"There is no danger here, why are we feeling fear?"

"Because I don't want to lose her like I did Annie alright?" he says loudly, his hand tense and outstretched in anger. 

The morphing head nods and pushes against Eddie's cheek. "We cannot be alone Eddie. We are together now, we mustn't fear where there is no need." he sensed Eddie's worry about going back to being alone. He tried to grasp and fully understand why he was angry, but he was still learning human emotion, which was turning out to be a lot more complicated than expected. Especially with a host like Eddie.


	8. Curiosity and Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW  
> Eddie has to explain and show the ritual of human sexual relations to Venom. They start off simple.

Eddie had texted Candy every day like he promised he would. He didn't know how much longer he could keep Venom a secret as he grew increasingly more annoyed with Eddie and not telling Candy about him. He wanted to be with her like Eddie wanted to be with her and it didn't matter if Eddie admitted it to himself or not, he had an alien voice of reason to call him on his bullshit now. It'd been two weeks since he'd face timed with Candy and he wasn't sure how long the excuse of medicine making him sick and his apartment being a mess would hold up. Especially with an intuitive woman like Candy. 

She offered to come clean, help him patch the place up, patch him up and he could tell she was growing more annoyed every time he turned her down for it. She wanted to see her friend. She wanted to see and touch him to know he was real. She was still upset over thinking he was dead and was trying to remain thankful that he was alive at all but she was starting to need more from him than just texts. She'd lay in bed and think about him, not a past time that she wanted to partake in as frequently as she was. But she was finding it hard not to when she was alone, thinking she'd almost lost him. That simply should push her towards admitting there was something more than just friendship there. She thought maybe she'd felt it from him too, but now she wasn't so sure. 

Eddie really dove head first into work those two weeks. After long, pleading and deep conversations with Venom he felt confident he wouldn't slip out in public and ruin their cover. He still asked questions in his head, which made conversations difficult and coming back from being fired and working an event as big as the fall of the Life Foundation, it wasn't good form to be known as being aloof and twitchy. Which is how he knew he could appear. Most of the time he could function just fine but if he was emotional or Venom's natural curiosity took over his will to behave, life became somewhat of a headache. And this was a metaphorical headache, not a literal one, as with Venom he didn't get them anymore. And a body that was running at an almost perfect balance certainly made day to day a lot easier. No more food poisoning, no more colds, no more hangovers. He'd begun to think of Venom as a magical roommate who picked and chose when to use their powers for good or bad. When they were alone, he frequently chose bad or rather mischievous more often than not. The thing that helped Edie out the most, was Venom's growing fondness of him. If Eddie felt poorly, so did he and if he had to put more work into making Eddie and his body feel better, the hungrier he became. And Eddie wasn't fond of eating brains when it could be avoided. 

Almost everything was running without issue for Eddie. Everything except one thing and with it being almost two weeks since he'd jerked off coming up, It was becoming more and more of a nuisance. Part of him simply didn't want to have to explain the intricacies of human sexuality to his friend, because that conversation would last days. The other part of him, no matter how intimate he'd become with his symbiote, still felt that human taboo about jerking off with other people watching, which wasn't something Eddie had found himself to be into. Well, the thought didn't appeal to him to do it in front of Venom anyway. Maybe in front of Candy. Yeah, Candy.

He shakes his head hard. Trying not think about her. She tried to keep conversations with him going, sending him pictures of puppies to cheer him up, meme's and tonight asking his opinion on an outfit for a meeting with a network, as he had met the guy before. Her in her well-tailored suits would've been a hard trigger for him before and now his kink for women in power suits was backfiring in a big way. Or rather, not firing at all and that was the issue. After he closes out the night, Venom watches Netflix. He'd let him while he slept so he could learn about earth, and it seemed to be helping curb the incessant, near constant questions from him.

Candy sends him a picture of her celebrating, a caption of 'wish you were here <3', her making a cute face and pouting, hair loose and messy, leaning on a bar in that suit, the tie loose, the top buttons undone and her shape on full display, it leads to impure thoughts immediately. He turns his phone over with a groan, Venom already engrossed in Planet Earth, and he goes to sleep. 

It was inevitable really, the lack of release, the almost wet dream he was having of Candy. He's woken up by a concerned Venom. 

"Eddie! What is happening?" he says with a twitching nature to his usual gooey softness. His tendrils are smushing Eddie's cheeks and bapping him about the head. He's pulled out of his dream and so close to getting off he didn't have to look down to know that he was rock hard. He rolls to his back with a groan. 

"It's fine, man, I'm fine." he says in a deep, sleep filled voice. 

"This has not happened before." He says, his head turning to look at the tent in the sheets. 

"Yeah, it has. Lots of times, we just weren't a thing then." He wishes he'd just let him watch some sexual rom-coms so he'd not have been alarmed. But leaving him alone with American Pie level education of sex wouldn't be a good idea. He'd leave the parental controls on for now. 

"We were dreaming of taking off our clothes with Candy."

"Yep." he says with a smack of his lips and he sighs. Sure, why not, let's have this conversation right now, in the middle of the night. 

"What conversation?" he's asked and he clenches his jaw, remembering in the haze of sleep his thoughts can be heard. "Why were we taking off our clothes, we have never done that around another human."

"Yeah, we have. With Anne." he purses his lips.

He's quiet a moment as he sees foggy images of a bed and actions of a very similar nature being done with the other female, Anne. "What is this? A human ritual of some sort?" his iridescent eyes shift and catch the light. "This is a mating ritual isn't it?" he says with a quick jerk of his head in realization. Of course, Planet Earth, he would make the connection. "You would put this into the female. For reproduction." he says in such a scientific way that until he reaches and smooths over the tent where Eddie stood at attention, he had been starting to go soft.

"Hey, man, watch it!" he hisses, swatting him weakly with his hand. 

"You want to reproduce with Candy?"

"We call it sex and I do want to have sex with Candy." he with a deeper inflection, nodding his head, rubbing his face. 

"We want an offspring to care for?"

"No, no humans do it for pleasure. It feels good. We don't have to do it to make babies. Most people do it just because it's fun and it feels nice." he would've preferred to be more eloquent about his explanation but he was tired and horny and now annoyed. 

"It feels good?" he asks, another tendril stroking over the sheets as Eddie grunts and shifts. He liked it when Eddie felt good. It was his favorite thing. When Eddie felt good, so did he. 

"Yeah it feels great." he says with a soft huff of laughter.

"Does it feel good when we do this with anyone?"

"It can, but I'm more a romantic myself." he makes a joke his friend doesn't understand. "You can do it when you love someone, you can do it when you hate someone and every emotion in between. Sometimes sex means nothing, sometimes it means every thing." he says, flopping his hands at his sides, feeling almost as confused as the alien did. 

"Sex is complicated." Venom states.

"It can be extremely complicated."

"But we felt good in our dream about Candy. This was a good thing. We did not hate it, it did not mean nothing."

"That's right. We like each other so, it can make it better when you do it with someone you like. It makes it not just about feeling good with your body, it makes it feel good emotionally too."

He's reserved, reflecting for a moment, reading Eddie's body, his engorged cock, his full tightened balls and the pulse of the vein that ran up his length. He could feel it all just the same as Eddie did. "I like you Eddie." 

Eddie's eyes open fully. "Well, I like you too." he says, turning to face the bobbing head, not understanding fully what he meant. 

"We can do this," he says rather softly, recalling how Candy spoke in Eddie's dream. A tendril slips under the blankets and Eddie feels the warmth and unearthly smoothness running down his thigh. "Would like to make us feel good Eddie." he says, as he feels more extensions of Venom reaching out over his body slowly. "Show us how to do this." he says, the prodding, fluid tips exploring Eddie's body gently. 

"Well, I, usually do it myself. With my hand." he stutters, caught off guard by how good the warmth and sleekness of the vine-like fingers felt. He was also so painfully in need of release he imagines most anything would've felt amazing. He felt too tired and too needy to fight it. It also felt so natural, like an echo of a happy purr in his head, Venom feeding off the pleasure and giving it back to him. 

"Show us, Eddie." he whispers, watching the light from the streets, blurred by his blinds over the windows reflect off the fluid body that was slowly wrapping around his limbs. 

"'Kay." Eddie exhales hesitantly, pushing the covers past his tight boxer briefs. He shimmies out of them, leaving them somewhere on the bed, not that it mattered in his distracted state. He feels that anxious flutter in his stomach, feeling the same as if he were having sex with someone for the first time. He supposes it is like that, in a way. He takes a deep shaky breath, hands clenching and warming up, adjusting himself, testing out the sensitivity of his cock. Spreading his legs just slightly, one foot planted on the bed. He can feel the symbiote squeezing around his thighs, delicate tips of venom's potentially lethal extremities warding him from the cold air of the room, traveling up his hips to his stomach, almost a tickle with how they spread slowly. 

Venom let Eddie guide the way but he had learned humans enjoy touch, and wanting to explore how to make Eddie, and thus himself, feel as good as possible, he wanted to explore Eddie's body from the outside. He could feel the tensing of muscles around his hips, a deep twitch that accompanied the bobbing of Eddie's cock. He felt before he would hear every sound Eddie made. The hot, wet tongue that licked over plush lips before a breathy exhale. The deeper groan that tried to escape as his teeth bit down on those same lips. 

Eddie pushes down at the base of his cock, rubbing the soft flesh that surrounded it, a tease to himself before he gave in and wrapped his hand around himself. He presents himself in a way, differently from how he would do this alone. Which would have been quick, dirty and to the point, closing the browser as quickly as he could to not face the shame that would be waiting there for him in his sobered mind. He felt watched, his symbiote's head bobbing, a strange silhouette against the pale blinds in his window. Eddie tentatively wraps his fingers around himself, squeezing to test his grip, showing his voyeuristic friend how to be gentle. 

"You can start slow... simple like this..." he whispers, a slow tug up to the head of his cock. It didn't take many strokes to have him standing at full attention again. Venom eyes narrow and his head tilts, taking in the sight before him, studying every thing Eddie was feeling and doing. As the precum gathers, the weight of it now sending it in a smooth descent down the tip of Eddie's cock, he takes his thumb and runs it over the head as he continues to stroke himself, a slight bend in his wrist as he subconsciously picks up speed. "You need..." he lets out a breathy exhale. "Lubrication, something to cut the friction." Being instructional and jerking off at the same time was proving more difficult than expected. "The head is the most sensitive." he whispers, a tiny moan as he incorporates sliding his hand to envelope his head completely into his routine. He grunts as he moves his other arm, his hand reaching down to cup his balls, now growing tighter. "But these feel good too." he says softly.

He feels Venom hum in agreement.

"Can't be rough with them though, or it'll hurt." he says after a brief fondling with his fingers, his hand retracting and Venom's tendrils replacing them, rolling them between two extended pliant limbs before his onyx smoothness covers his balls, causing a deep groan to come from Eddie. They're warm and feel wet without the moisture, like they'd been sucked into someone's mouth. The symbiote pays close attention, a gentle back and forth, a squeeze and release as it lightly frisks Eddie's balls. 

Eddie lets his head fall back, his breathing growing faster along with his hand. A wince of his face as his eyes roll back in his head. Feeling a pressure grow inside him, Venom still observes him from the inside, see's his glands and ducts react, build and tense, his prostate serving a yet unknown function he'd been curious about. 

"It does feel good, Eddie." Venom's deep voice rumbles out, his face close to Eddie's hand that stroked away at him. "Let us try." he says, a long solid arm growing from the shimmering almost-liquid that was prickling across his inner thighs. 

Eddie figures, why the hell not. He lets go, and without hesitation, a matching grip is quickly found by Venom. At first, he simply mimics and Eddie is left with fluttering lids, getting jerked off by the symbiote. It soon shifts, causing Eddie's back to arch and toes to twitch as he's encased in an undulating blackness, encasing all of him with the slickness of a human body but with only Venom's unique ability to be everywhere all at once. His hips bucked and as goosebumps ran across his skin, the symbiote's outer layer rippled like the surface of water. The ability to have someone, something else feel exactly what you did as they did it was something afforded to no one else on Earth. At least to no one else that Eddie knew about. HIs hips pushed him up into Venom's softness, still in constant movement. It didn't feel like a human, not a mouth or other orifice, it felt like nothing else he could compare it to. No sex toy, even with the strangest textures inside those sleeves he'd used could replicate it exactly. It was something that was firm, but had give, felt hot without sweat and glided across him without it looking like it was doing anything at all. As he grew closer to climax, Venom's hold on him grew as well. He could see Eddie giving himself over, feel this delicious build that felt almost wrong, he knew something was going to happen, but he didn't know what.

"Is this feeling good, babe?" Venom says quietly, once again showing he was learning from Eddie's interactions with others and his thoughts. 

"Yeah..." he whines. "This is...so fuckin' good." he moans. Venom shivers with happiness from the praise, his coverage over Eddie expanding, now between his fingers in an affectionate holding hands gesture, tickling up his neck and ears and making Eddie shudder. Venom notices the flinch as he moves across Eddie's nipples and starts to toy with them, drawing a muscle tensing groan from his wet lips. 

"Good Eddie?" he whispers again.

"Yes." he huffs out, muscles starting to twitch, his hips starting to buck up involuntarily. The symbiote watches him vigilantly, seeing the flashes that cross his mind, seeing lips to lips, breasts and strong thighs as Eddie's mind tries to tie this feeling to something he's known before. He moves to hover over Eddie, that feeling close, that mystery that he keeps steadily pumping Eddie's veined and pulsing cock for. He unrolls his long tongue, Eddie's pouted and panting lips showing no signs of fear for anything he did to him now. Venom's grip on Eddie's hips tighten, he flicks his nipples and runs his tongue up his throat, leaving a wet trail behind. It was something familiar to Eddie, a blast of cold from the air hitting his skin as it started to dry. Venom then toys with his lips. Lapping against them until he opens his mouth. A wanton moan released, their tongues then shortly rubbing against the other before Venom tests Eddie and probes away at his mouth. Eddie lets his eyes shut, the groans come as he's so close he whines, balls of his feet digging into the mattress, his hand trying to grasp at sheets but being met with resistance from the symbiotes affectionate hold. Venom watches his host's lips suck away at its tongue, sending a thrill through both of them, something unknown to the alien before this point. A breathy moan is released from the large violent looking mouth that was being anything but. A rumble passes through them both, a warning, Venom thinks. He feels Eddie's muscles start to convulse, pulling away and concentrating on his cock again, as it seemed this area of his body was about to undergo a transformation. 

"Fuck, I'm gonna... I'm gonna cum." Eddie gasps and whimpers, lip snarled and head pushed back into the bed, helpless to what was happening and he certainly wasn't minding in the least. 

"Yes. Come." Venom says, putting a word to the action now. He feels Eddie's muscle convulse and suddenly he feels it push and force out a pearlescent liquid that started forcefully and died down to a slow pump as he continued his encapsulation around Eddie's throbbing cock. He seized on the outside and in, feeling everything his body did that Eddie couldn't, the veins pumping, the ducts drawing, glands releasing, causing this euphoric feeling that made the both of them in their echo chamber of pleasure mewl and moan.

"St-Stop." Eddie whines, as Venom continued with his same pace. "Sen-senstive." Eddie winces and raises on his elbows, eyes pleading. 

Venom stops moving, a slow retraction of the extensions of himself back into his body. Some seeping into Edie's skin, some joining Venom on the extended head that was now moving closer to Eddie's face. 

"After you cum it's sensitive to touch for a while. Everything's so...." he lets out a noisy sigh, trying to gather himself after what was the most strange and intense orgasm of his life. "heightened." he managed to sigh out in a high pitched exhale. "Gotta let it rest." he gruffs out, laying open and exposed on the bed, catching his breath. 

"It was good Eddie." Venom hums, tongue licking around the sides of its own face. "Why did we not do that sooner?"

"I'm wondering the same thing right about now." Eddie chuckles.

"Why do we not do this all the time? Do all humans feel this way? Why aren't they doing this all the time?"

Eddie laughs and rests his forearm against his face. "That's... those are good questions." he grins, catching his breath. "But do you mind if I answer them in the morning? I'm kinda..."

"We become tried afterward." he says, feeling a yawn build in Eddie' chest before it erupts.

"Mmm Hmm" he nods, wiping his watering eyes. 

"We can sleep if we get answers tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, man, yeah. Promise." he says, rolling to his side with a groan after a stretch.

Venom takes the covers and pulls them back over Eddie who thanks him with a lazy smile and a scratch under the chin, the symbiotes curiosity and perseverance reminding him of a puppy. 

"Not a dog." he says despite leaning into the touch. "Sleep now. Questions when you wake." he states again. "Answers in the morning."

"Yeah, tomorrow." Eddie mumbles, pulling the pillow to his face. He's out before Venom even tucks him in. A gesture of affection he'd seen in a movie. He goes back to the television, deciding to watch more, as it was clear he still had a lot to learn.


	9. Good news and great news.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW  
> Eddie goes to see Candy to make amends and makes Venom take a backseat. But as he should expect, Venom doesn't exactly behave himself when Candy starts to put the moves on Eddie. But because of Venom's push, Candy and Eddie come to a deeper realization of what they might be feeling.

Eddie was starting to feel like he was getting a hold on this human and symbiote relationship thing. Sure he was getting less sleep than he'd like, being constantly asked questions and the more he answered the more curious Venom became. But they had the essentials down. Stay out of sight in public and don't eat good people. Chocolate really helped keep his hunger under control but they needed further resources than that. And simply, Venom preferred brains, and when he was satiated he was a whole hell of a lot easier to deal with. So they had the ongoing conversation yet again of good versus bad, and as an exercise, they took to the streets one night in search of examples. 

Having an almost impenetrable suit of armor to work with, Eddie was a lot less fearful than he used to be of these "bad guys" they were searching out. In all other aspects of his life, he was still a mess but Venom had quickly become a big gooey positive in his life instead of a burden. They went to bad parts of town, overhearing conversations, using Eddie's skills from reporting and investigating to hear where the "bad" guys were and with a constant inner monologue of questions, Venom soon learned the difference and they found themselves a more filling source of food for him. At first, Eddie was torn about it. He was killing people. But he was killing people who hurt other people. By eliminating them, he was saving others in the future. At least that's how he was come to think of it. A bit of a vigilante of sorts but only because his best friend who happened to live on human-made chemicals needed them to survive. It was him or them and he was choosing himself. 

Three weeks had passed now since Venom had returned and gained his strength and knowledge, growing with Eddie. Eddie was back to work, focusing on writing now instead of being in front of the camera. With his new found reputation and the weight of his name back, he used his first decision to repay someone who he felt he could never really pay back. But this was a start. 

He's on his new bike, as the old one had eaten it in the high-speed chase across the city. If you would've asked him a month ago if that was something he could've ever said about himself the answer would've been a hard no. He finally face timed Candy again and told her he wanted to see her. The sweetheart even offered to come over to his place, to cook and coddle him but he told her no. He wanted to start putting things back together again. He didn't want to be the best friend with a parasite forever. He wanted to be Eddie Brock again. A man she looked up to and most importantly, a man that looked like he was getting his life together again. 

He's in her elevator, two arms full of bags of food for them, the first step in repaying her for being the only food source he had some days. He looks at his reflection in the round mirror up in the corner of the elevator. 

"Don't blow this for us man." he says sternly, with raised brows at his reflection. "Candy deserves a good night. An alien free night okay? We want to make up for not being around, so DON'T RUIN THIS FOR US!" he says in an angry whisper.

"We will stay hidden. We are looking forward to seeing Candy. Our body is very sweaty." 

"Yeah, thanks. I know that. Isn't that..your area of expertise? Cant, you like, calm me down or somethin'?"

"Yes." he says as Eddie feels his heart rate slow. Oh wow, that was nice. His shirt under his jacket was already damp but his body was dry and he knew he smelled nice so what else could he really do? He'd bought some new clothes and even though they weren't anything special, he was still currently in all new things and that made him feel better about himself. She deserved a guy that wore something besides hoodies and baggy jeans. He felt a lot like a polished turd but there wasn't too much more he could do. So with his stubble acceptable, his hair cut just last week, and a new cologne he stands and takes a deep breath before knocking on the door with his foot. 

Candy almost spits out her wine, setting the long-stemmed glass on the countertop of her kitchen. Taking a deep breath, checking herself out in the mirror by the door, pushing her boobs up and smoothing her dress down across her thighs. She hoped it wasn't too much. It was a very comfortable, jersey wrap dress but it could easily read as too formal. She had been in pajamas with her hair piled on top of her head before. But tonight she had on makeup, her hair fixed and wavy and the apartment was clean and smelled nice from the fragrance reeds she'd bought. She turns to give the space one last look. Was the candle too much? She wondered. Oh, it's not like it mattered. 

She opens the door to reveal a very handsome and seemingly improved version of Eddie. No circles under his eyes, his hair cut and styled, a button up plaid shirt under a leather jacket she hadn't seen before. Dark wash jeans skim down his stocky legs to new boots, no worn trainers in sight. Her heart thumps at the realization that he'd put effort into how he looked for tonight too. 

"I uh..." he begins, shrugging his shoulders and showing the bags in his arms. He loses his words for a moment, seeing her all soft and pretty, and just for him. "I brought food." he says with a charming half-smile, a short nervous huff of air exhaled as his eyes look her over. 

He feels Venom shudder inside his head. "Candy." he hears in a whisper. Venom could feel the effect this woman was having on Eddie and he wasn't prepared for it, it was nothing he'd ever experienced before. It was as if it were anxiety that felt very pleasurable. 

"You didn't have to," she says sweetly, tucking her hair behind her ear and taking a bag from him. "Come in." she says almost bashfully, not being able to tell she was just as nervous as he was. It'd been almost a month since she'd seen him, since she thought he might've died. He takes his jacket off and she sees the exposed forearms, his sleeves rolled up over a nice watch and the visible tattoos. She stands against the counter, watching him move in the well-fitted shirt. Her heart was racing and she wanted so very badly to act cool but it didn't seem like it was going to allow her to do such a thing. 

As he turns around, eyes scanning the apartment, hands heading for his jean pockets, opening his mouth to speak she cuts him off. 

"I missed you." she says softly with a heavy exhale, moving towards him and wrapping her arms around him. Venom was elated at the touch of another person. He nudges Eddie's arms forward to wrap around her and he purrs contently. Or was that Eddie's doing? Neither were sure, they just knew it felt really good. "Damn you smell amazing." she says with her cheek against his chest as she laughs. "You sure you've been sick? You look..." she says with the corner of her mouth turning up into a flirty smile, taking a step back from him. "You look really good." she says with a quick eyeball of him before tucking her hair behind her ear again in nervous habit and turning to the food. 

"Tell her she looks like a snack. We wish we could eat her, she looks delicious. She smells like flowers." Eddie scrunches his face up and shakes his head, scolding Venom to be quiet. 

"You look good too. But, what else is new." he chuckles, moving to stand next to her and stepping in to help with the bags.

After eating, they're on the couch, as usual, catching up on a show they'd been watching before this whole, parasite thing happened. Being less afraid to show her feelings, or rather her feelings being so strong she didn't have the choice but to act upon them, she snuggles up to Eddie's side, his arm around her. Venom kept peeking out against his host's wishes, little tendrils rubbing against her hair, taking in the many new textures and smells she had to offer. He retreats before Eddie sees him every time. 

As an episode comes to a close and he's ignored the previous one, talking himself up in his head to tell her about the good news he had. Venom pesters him to make a move. He reaches out and taps the remote to stop the next episode from starting and Candy assumes he just wants up, maybe to pee or something and scoots away slightly. "I had somethin' I wanted to talk to you about," he says with a nod of his head. He can tell by the way her eyes grew larger and the tilt of her head she isn't sure if it's good or bad. "It's good." he chuckles. "Or at least I hope you think it's good."

"Lead with I have good news next time." she teases and smiles. 

" I might as well said we need to talk, huh?" he looks at his lap and pulls himself together for a minute before turning slightly to face her and she does the same. "I went back to work." he begins.

"What? Where?" she says supportively, a hand on his thigh. 

"My old job."

Her face contorts with questions. 

"Well, not exactly my old job. I do written interviews now, I didn't really want to go back to the Report, it didn't feel right." he says with a wrinkled nose.

"So you aren't blacklisted anymore?" he can see the relief on her face. 

"Apparently not. I reached out again after you gave me that money, and they were willing to work with me again after that whole thing with the Life Foundation came out." He'd kept his name off the record for the work, and for a reason.

"I saw that. That was all...that was all fucking crazy. But yeah you were right so...yeah they had to believe you after that didn't they?" she says with a sweet smile. "I'm so happy for you, babe! You deserve it." she says with a genuine delivery and Venom feels how it makes Eddie quiver inside to hear. 

"That's not the good news though." he shakes his head, taking in her soft expression, how kind and supportive she was being. He was so relieved to be able to give her something in return. 

"Oh?" her eyebrows raise. "That seems like really good news to me." she tries to get clarification with the confusion on her face. 

"Oh no, it is, I uh, just have news that's good for you. Specifically." he says with a nod. 

"What'd I do?" she chuckles.

"When I went back to work, they asked me if I wanted my old show back. Ya know, pick up where I left off and all. And it didn't feel right. So now I'm workin' on the writing like I said, but...that meant there was an opening for a show again." he pauses for a moment, taking in her face, Venom wiggles to egg him on, wanting to see what would happen. "So I recommended you for the job."

Her eyes go wide. "Me?" she says quietly, a hand to her chest. 

"Yeah. I showed them the story we worked on and your videos and they really liked you so they wanted you to come in and talk about taking over The Eddie Brock Report. Or...whatever you wanna call it now." he gives a small shrug.

"They wanna..." her posture straightens, disbelief hitting her hard. "My own show?" she rasps out. "On a network?" she squeaks.

He doesn't know if she's ever looked more adorable. "Yeah, babe, of course. My boss liked your style and I put in a good word for ya and they saw you were doing well at your spot at the paper so they asked if I could bring you in next week and we could all figure out how to put it all together again."

"You did that? For me?" she barely gets out, feeling light-headed. This was the sort of break that only happened to other people. Her mind was going a million miles a minute, her eyes blinking rapidly. 

"Of course I did. You deserve it." he states obviously, giving her the same words she'd given him. She thought she'd understood how he felt, the gratefulness of someone helping you out. But Eddie had just skyrocketed her into a dream job. 

She doesn't think about it and finds herself acting even more out of sorts than he had at the lunch. She grabs his face and kisses him. She feels the stubble against her palms from his soft cheeks and keeps kissing him, crawling into his lap and not stopping. 

To say he was taken by surprise would be an understatement. Venom was making a shrill noise of happiness, having never been kissed before, he could feel Eddie's brain running wild and he was absorbing every bit of it he could. It calmed him, fed him and made he and Eddie both VERY happy. He really liked this Candy human, almost as much as Eddie did. 

She stops and pulls her face away. "I'm...uh- I'm sorry." she says shaking her head, a blush of shame of losing self-control for a moment comes across her face. 

Venom moves Eddie's hands to her back. "Why is she apologizing? Tell her not to stop!" he demands. 

"Don't be sorry." Eddie whispers out, his eyes flicking across her face and resting on her lips and she nervously licked and chewed at them. 

"Tell her Eddie." Venom whines, getting flooded with all the thoughts that came in of things he wanted to say to her. “Tell her what you’re thinking. She should know.”

Eddie let's out a sigh, his lips forming a tight line as he pushes the hair out of her face, watching her shoulders and expression soften at the touch. "I missed you." he whispers. Venom is elated, swimming around in the love drugs in Eddie's brain.

"I missed you so fucking much." she rushes out, pushing forward to kiss him again, this time harder, needier. They both moan against the other, her hands now in his hair, his strong against her back as she pressed against him. "I thought you were dead. You know that right?" she rasps out between kisses, her hands moving across his face and hair.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be." she says, kissing him again. "God, why did you put me through that you handsome bastard?" she whines, pushing her forehead against his. "I was a mess, Eddie." she openly admits. "Why did you do that?"

"I was...sick...I told you." he stutters out. "I'm sorry." he says with eyes that tell her it's the truth. 

"Liar." Venom taunts. 

She presses another kiss to his lips. "Are you better now?" she asks softly, a hand resting gently on his neck. "You aren't going to go disappearing again? Leaving me to put the pieces together and cry every night over your dumb ass." she chuckles, sniffling and holding back tears. 

“You have acted like a dumb ass.” Venom agrees and Eddie shuts his eyes to block him out.

"I'm better now." he says timidly. "I won't. I... shit, I'm sorry Candy." he groans out against her lips, still pecking against his intermittently. 

"Are you sure?" she asks, holding his face to look at her, a more serious expression falling over her face. "Because I don't want to be fucking a liar tonight. Don't make a fool of me Eddie." she pours out her honesty in her words and on her face. “I couldn’t take it.” she whispers, brushing her lips against his. "I care about you too much."

"Eddie." Venom whines from inside his skull. "Don't stop now, this is gooooood. This Candy is not only good, she is the best. The best human. Besides you, babe." he says in a rush, acting very literally drunk off the love hormones Candy was causing to be released in his body. The combination of that and the physical sensation of touch from another person was giving Venom enough new data to take in that he was positively hyper with happiness. He wanted to wrap around this Candy himself, taste her and touch her like Eddie was. 

He tries to drown out the voice in his head and remember the vulnerability on her face. "I don’t wanna hurt you like that, Candy." he mumbles.

"Then promise me you won't do it again."

"I won't." he says with a low brow, the hurt showing on his own face. 

"I couldn't..." she sighs and takes a noisy gulp. "I wanna be mad at you. But you're...ugh..." she slumps and kisses him again. "You're so damn charming," she whispers against his lips, hands moving around his neck. "And then you go and give me your old show? Are you serious? I don't even know how to pay you back for something like this, Eddie."

"I'm still payin' you back.” his eyes and down turned and sad. 

"And you say things like that," she whines and lets out a breathy laugh. “If you really want to show me you’re sorry...and start making it up to me...” she kisses his cheek. “You could start by staying with me tonight.” she suggests with a tilted head and a suggestive smile. "It's been a little lonely without you around, y'know."

He hadn’t planned on it, but how could he say no. Venom was busy rolling around like a cat on catnip and he was left to take in everything about her he’d missed. “I...uh, yes. Please.” he nods, eyes wide and watching her giggle and moves to kiss a trail from his lips to his ear.

“I wanna thank you properly.” she grins. 

“You don’t...that feels a little...manipulative.”

She laughs and goes back to smooching his big soft lips. “Only you would turn down a sexy suggestion, Eddie. Are you too good of a boy to enjoy yourself?” she asks, a sweeter kiss to his cheek. 

“If anyone could do it it’d be me.” he says with a frown to accompany his self-deprecating humor.

“Very true.” she kisses his lips again. “You gonna let me get my mouth back on you Eddie?” she whispers, licking his lips and he shudders. “You’ve gotta be backed up, being sick and all. You need to cum good and hard. Let me help you with that.” she purrs. 

“Eddie.” Venom grunts. “Don’t YOU ruin this for US.” he gives his words right back to him. Venom had seen humans having sex, Eddie had shown him on the laptop. He’d researched human anatomy and was chomping at the bit to find out first hand these male and female sexual relations. Eddie was already getting hard, feeling the soft skin of his cock press against the hard fabric of the denim. “We want her Eddie. Want all of her. We want to come Eddie.” he whines, his inflection changing and moving from angry to desperate. It was like a voice had been given to teenage level hormones. 

He feels a surge of something, perhaps confidence in feeling wanted. “Candy... you can do whatever you want.” he moans out in a slow exhale. 

“There you go.” she purrs. “You know what a woman wants to hear, don’t you Eddie?” she hums, slower more intentional kisses across his jaw to his neck. “Mmmph, I missed you.” she whispers in a sweeter tone. Both Venom and Eddie’s eyelids flutter as they moan. 

“We missed you too.” he sighs out.

“We?” she stops and tilts her head at him.

Oh, shit. He tenses. “I, I mean I, sorry it feels like it’s been a long time, I’m all y’know... anxious.” he gives as an excuse and Venom laughs at the slip-up. 

She looks him over with a less seductive look on her face. “Mmmm.” she says, the corner of her mouth pulling back. “I’m moving too fast.” she says, leaning back from his torso. 

He hears a shriek of worry in his head from Venom, feeling him moving under his skin, wanting to intervene. “Nah, no that’s not it, I’m fine really.” he stutters and she remains unconvinced.

“We don’t have to sleep together, Eddie. I just thought you might want to-” she says with a slight shrug of her shoulders before he cuts her off.

“I want to.” he blurts out and she lets out a quiet laugh at his expense. 

“I don’t know if you’re up to it. You do seem jittery or something, maybe you need to take it easy.” she says, starting to move to off of his lap.

Venom can’t contain himself, he didn’t want to stop and he wasn’t going to let Eddie be passive about it. He takes control of his body, much to Eddie's surprise and grabs Candy like he’d seen in romance movies. And how he’d seen in a few softer porno’s Eddie had carefully chosen for him to see, trying to not dive too deep into the spectrum of human sexuality. He wraps Eddie’s arms around her and pulls her back to him fast, both their eyes wide with surprise, although he tries to conceal it on his face after he realizes what’s happening. 

“Eddie.” she says with a deeper chuckle, a hint of being impressed and a slight thrill running through her at an aggressiveness she never expected out of him. 

In a much more fluid motion than the first attempts at overtaking Eddie’s body, as he now trusts Venom instead of fighting him, he pulls her in for a kiss by pulling her in by the back of her neck. Venom sends every good emotions Eddie’s way, making his skin more sensitive, a surge of blood to between his legs. Eddie moans into the kiss and even though she’s caught off guard, she goes with it. He didn’t seem very good at expressing himself with words sometimes when it came to this sort of thing, maybe this is his way of convincing her he was ready. 

His hand quickly move up her thighs, pushing the hem of her dress out of the way, fingers moving farther up to find her in a thong and when the realization hits him he moans loudly into the kiss and moves both hands to her backside, squeezing and kneading as she returned every noise in full, her hesitation totally forgotten. Her arms are wrapped around his head, fingers in that longer hair on top, scraping over the closer cuts sides and she takes full advantage of those plush lips she’d missed. WIth every break of the seal fo their mouths, panting at each other, she sucks and bites and licks eagerly at him as his hands move under the thin fabric of her dress. 

As she presses into his lap, letting herself feel how hard he was. A quirked brow as she bounces herself against him. Her fingers move quickly to undo the buttons of his shirt. “You do want to don’t you?” she coos with a deep tone against his lips, moving her hands to the now exposed skin of his chest. In response, instead of the expected whine and nod, he wraps his arms around her, under the control of the symbiote again and is hastily moved to her back, a soft oof of surprise as his body follows along with hers, resting between her legs.

“Apparently so.” he says with a shifting brow, not expecting Venom to take him over like this, but not being able to really retaliate in any way with giving himself away for looking crazy. He wanted to explain this wasn’t his way of doing things to the swirling excitement in his head that Venom was right now. He wanted to say being too aggressive might come off as strange. Guess he should’ve gone over dominance and submission with Venom. 

Venom is raging inside, if he were formed he would be dripping drool from his teeth made for violence as he slid his tongue under Candy’s dress to get to the sweet smelling skin underneath. He feels Eddie’s hesitation and presses their lips together again. Candy welcomes him into her arms, taking his shirt off and letting her hands roam in his hair and across his shifting shoulders as his hands rested under her dress at her thigh. She grinds her hips against his, still feeling him battling the confines of his jeans as she reaches down and unties the knot keeping her dress together, yanking it open to reveal a black lace bra and panty set to match the black dress. He whines and gulps back saliva at the site, face falling to her chest and landing noisy kisses across her chest. 

“Unf, you look good enough to eat.” he groans into the valley of her breasts, he blinks rapidly into the softness that presses against either side of his head, realizing Venom’s thoughts are seeping through into his own. He raises up to try to compose himself but his hands are tugging her bra down, her nipples now exposed as the flesh bulged from its saucy confines. 

“You’re welcome to.” she smirks, reaching down to focus on getting him out of his pants. 

“EDDIE!” he hears a roar in his head. “Permission.” he gulps back the excess drool the symbiote creates in its excitement. 

He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head hard. “Not like that.” he tries to say as quietly as he can, shaking his head.

“Hmm?” Candy says with a distracted tone, her tongue flicking out over her lips as her soft hands meet with Eddie’s pulsing cock. 

The feeling makes his eyes roll back, shoulders slumping as he whines quietly. He’d missed her touch so much. “Just like that.” he exhales, eyes shutting and lip twitching as Venom prickles up the back of his neck.

She holds him gently, a slow up and down over the velvet thickness that gave away how badly they both wanted her. “Feels like you did miss me.” she grins, biting her lip. 

He sighs, leaning back down, her hand between them and still pumping away at him as his hips rub up against hers. “So much, Candy.” he says lips back on her jaw. 

She takes his hand that’s made it’s home on her breast and puts it between her legs. He feels the wetness that’s seeped through the lace and he and Venom both let out a groan from his gut. “C'mon and fuck me, babe. Show me how much you missed me.” she whispers into his ear. 

“SHOW HER!” Venom growls, not content with Eddie’s slow back and forth over her panties, her soft mewls from the gentle contact. He hooks his fingers into the crotch of the thong and pulls it to the side, jerking her hips with the force. 

Despite asking him to show her, she never expected such a demanding reaction out of him. Her dirty talk was more a light coaxing, letting the usually hesitant man know she wanted him, that it was okay to go forward. But it seemed he didn’t need that tonight. What had that parasite done to him? She wondered. 

Eddie takes himself out of her hand, sliding it between her soft, wet lips between her thighs and groans, his mouth capturing hers in a harsh kiss that makes her grunt on impact. She raises her knees, giving him better access, pushing his jeans and boxers down his hips as he situates his knees on the couch. With her hands in his hair and on his back, she lets her eyes roll back as his kisses move to her neck. His hips pull back and hit their target, sliding in with the gentle resistance of a swollen but wanting entrance. 

She wasn’t sure if it was how he was acting, making her blood flow a little faster with the desire of it being so clear to see, or if she’d been so tense and worried these past weeks that it’d made her tighter. But he most certainly felt bigger. 

He could feel her at first, hot, soaked and tight against him, a gasp in praise of him as he gave her what she wanted. Venom moans, doing slow somersaults through his skull, forcing him back down on her, face against her neck and burying completely inside her. 

“Fuck.” she squeaks out, a higher pitched, sweet sound that makes him snap out of Venom’s hold and raise up to face her.

“Is this...are you okay?”

“Yeah.” she sighs out in a long exhale. “You just- you feel so big like this.” she mewls, tensing around him and reaching between them to rub her clit.

He doesn’t think much of comment, his ego being stroked a bit by it, but continues forward.

“She likes us big.” Venom hisses, filling Eddie’s limbs and taking in every tactile sensation. In his greed he's wrapped himself around Eddie's length, wanting to experience for himself what her body felt like around him. As he feels their bodies break in, the hands start roaming, the shared growing louder moans and gasps as he angled his hips up into her, making her eyes flutter. Venom moves within her as Eddie does and melts just the same as his host.

She makes gentle demands to suck her tits, to go deeper, to kiss her harder and his personal favorite her asking him not to stop. He obeys every one, Venom taking a back seat. He notices she makes a deeper sound when Eddie pushes up inside her, using his reasoning, he seeps through Eddie’s skin, past the tip of his cock and strokes inside of her himself, moving with Eddie’s body and pushing against a small swollen spot inside her the made her nails grip into their shoulders. 

“Oh fuck.” she gasps, mouth opening against Eddie’s, her lashes fluttering fast, gazing up into his eyes. She shuddered with the sudden feeling of him pushing into exactly where she needed, a perfect stretch of her from his size, considering always fucking on the couch in this position from now on as he felt absolutely heavenly, working her in a way she couldn’t recall anyone else having had done before. “Oh God.” she squeaks her voice rising in pitch, “Oh fuck, Eddie. Fuck me baby, don’t stop. That’s so good, yes, right there.” the helpless words tumble from her mind and out of her mouth as she doesn’t even recall what she’s saying. She just feels him hold her tighter, his hips hitting into her hard, reducing her to hasps and moans as his noises followed suit with deeper grunts and higher moans of exasperation. 

They both give her exactly what she needed, a good fuck and to cum hard, knocking out the crowded cobwebs in her mind that had gathered from her haze of worry and doubt she’d had about Eddie. But as she came around him, touching her in some superhuman way, his forehead against hers, the rush of the deed felt with their clothes still on, his light and higher pitched moans in between presses of his soft lips she felt like all the worry was for nothing. She felt connected, she felt wanted and she felt surer there was something more between them than physical in the way he whispered her name against her skin. 

He whines and she holds him close, hand on the back of his head as he grunts into her ear. “Oh god...” he groans, “Candy it’s...too much... I’m gonna...” he whimpers almost as if he were apologizing. 

She holds him close to her, lips to his ear. “Come for me, baby.” she whispers. He lets out a final high pitched moan, trying to kiss her neck and breath at the same time. 

His body tells her wordlessly he’s finished, the grunts that went with the thrusts of his hips ending and the light breathy exhales beginning as she feels his muscles slowly lose their tension beneath her fingertips. He feels calm, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Candy strokes his hair and smiles, a kiss to his forehead as he shivers and feels his weight settle against her. “Man, I didn’t know how badly I needed that.” she says with a light-hearted and quiet tone, her lips moving against Eddie’s sweaty skin and not caring, only relishing in the tang from the salt as it stung her lips. “I think you made my eyes cross at one point.” she lets out a giggle, her fingers moving lightly and scratching his back. “I didn’t mean to catch you off guard or anything tonight,” she says in a slow and sweet voice. “I got a little carried away I guess.” she lets out a soft chuckle and a sweet sigh. 

Venom keeps tight around Eddie, feeling just how different it was with this Candy than it was when it was just them together. The main difference was the activity in Eddie’s brain. He was lit up on all fronts it seemed, Phenethylamine pumping out with his endorphins and emotions this other human brought out. Venom didn’t feel hungry when Eddie was with her, he got a steady trickle of what he needed to fight off hunger for a little while. He recalls reading about the chemical and its production in human brains and the various causes. He recalls one of the causes being called love. He rests, feeling satiated like Eddie did as he breathed heavily and rested in Candy’s arms. 

“What is love Eddie?” he asks, his voice low and rumbling and even again. 

He feels her breath travel across his skin and he hums contently. “I don’t know what you came here for exactly.” she says, her fingers running through his hair, he could hear the casual delivery but knew the statement was heavy. 

“This.” he says out loud, letting his body relax, a heavy breath he felt like he’d been holding in for so long finally comes out. 

“This is...love?” Venom asks, carefully studying what Candy was doing to Eddie. 

“You wanted to get loved on?” she giggles, an ease to her tone now as she bit her lip and buried her face in his messy hair.

“Yes.” he answers them both again. He raises his face and kisses her neck. A happy little grunt escapes him, his arms tightening around her for a moment. 

“I wanted to do some loving on so I’m glad it worked out.” she chuckles, eyes fluttering slightly at the affectionate turn this had taken. “You wanna get in bed?” she asks. “Get out of these clothes and snuggle up?”

“Yeah.” he nods, face still smashed against her chest. “I’d love that.” he says with a dopey smile she knows she’ll never take for granted again.


	10. Growth and Change.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Candy's lives start to move fast with their new careers. Finding it hard to spend as much time together, absence makes the heart grow fonder for Candy and makes her react emotionally instead of her usual logical self when faced with jealousy. Eddie tries to find out what's really wrong with her, and it leads to a conversation that should've happened months ago.

Falling asleep and waking up in another person’s arms will make you have to face a lot of hard questions. Thanks to Venom, Eddie wasn’t finding it as hard to decipher how he felt about Candy. Having a constant influx of questions about every thought you had had that effect on speeding up realizations. 

Candy slept so soundly that night. Coffee and kisses were shared the in the late morning light with Eddie before he left. This time she didn’t have any feelings of, ‘Oh I shouldn’t have done that’, after kissing him goodbye. She didn’t regret pressing her lips gently to his forehead as he slept on her with his arm wrapped around her, half in and out of sleep with her fingers in his hair. She found herself not regretting any of her decisions thus far when it came to Eddie. The smile on her face that wouldn’t go away as she looked in the mirror that morning told her a lot about how she felt. She just needed to figure out how to tell him about it.  
\--------  
Everything begins to move fast, and not in a totally pleasurable way for Candy. Everything was coming up Milhouse for her but it was all a whirl happening around her and she fought to keep from feeling overwhelmed at times. 

She has a meeting with the network and Eddie. With light praise and concerns shared, she signs a contract to begin working with them. They start pre-production and she tells the paper she’s leaving that same day. Deciding to keep with the same investigative journalism approach, they decide to simply rebrand that show as The Miller Report. She and Eddie would work together to find out where to mesh the old and new, using the pre-existing popularity of his show to launch hers, a sort of Brock report 2.0 of sorts, but with much better boobs, as Eddie teased in private. 

At first, she got to see Eddie at work a few times a week, while the show was getting off the ground. Old leads, reforming a crew and figuring out how to improve on what he’d done lead to lots of brainstorming sessions between the two of them. But as it moved into shooting and interviews and on location production, Candace herself having to put in footwork on stories, they saw each other less and less. They did work for the same company, so sometimes they got to have lunch together, leaving their phones face down and trying to help the other decompress from being in the same fast-moving world of news, functioning as a small respite for each other. They mostly saw one another in passing, coming or going, walking around the same floor of the building with apologetic glances as she was surrounded by people demanding things of her and he would wave his notepad full of scribbles in her direction as he worked on questions and research for his interviews. 

He traveled a lot for his work now, the more he released, the wider his net became for individuals to learn about. He spends most of his time hunched over a computer screen and rubbing his temples, trying to find the right angle, the right wording to get the information he wanted to set himself apart. It felt good to be back at work again but it also felt exactly like that. Work. And Venom wasn’t very fond of it. 

Being back in the loop with stories, especially having Candy to hear them from, helps their need for human brains. Or rather, whole humans. The nonexistence of a body was a lot easier to hide than a headless one, so he found himself in shady parts of town where he knew bad things had been going down and letting Venom get his fill of the murderers, malicious thieves and rapists that crawled in the underbelly of the city. Due to his experience with Carlton Drake, Eddie still had that fire alive for getting back at the 1%. He tried to focus on interviewing these types and exposing them for the greedy, privileged monsters they were. Writing stories of abused laborers and blackmail attempts. He found it a lot harder to get around to eating a rich person though, lots of security and questions if they disappeared, but that didn’t keep Venom from always suggesting it and Eddie from always thinking it. 

\------  
He finds himself in Colorado the night Candy’s show premiers and he feels like a real asshole for missing her party. But if there was anything Candy understood, it was work and he hoped she meant it when she said he didn’t hold it against him. He was out researching and interviewing the top manufacturers and dispensers in Denver and trying to bring light to the hypocrisy of white men running corporations and getting rich off what had oppressed the community of color for so long. The recreational laws in his home state made the story relatable to the local market but kept a distance while he could reach out to people in the green triangle upstate to get the real information on the conditions harvesters were forced to work in for a follow-up story.

He’s in his hotel room, sitting on the bed and loading up the network's website to see Candy’s first episode. She’d decided to tackle a sexist owner of some shops and been taking in interviews with ex-employees and discussing money taken for silence. He was insanely proud of such a delicate and intense subject that she’d go for for her first episode, but it didn’t surprise him in the least. 

“Candy? Hello?” he asks, the face time screen blurred and the sound of multiple voices being heard. He’s greeted by Steph’s face. 

“She gave me her phone so she’d stop looking at Twitter and what people were saying.” she explains as she laughs. “I’ll give her the phone, hold on.” he shakes her head. “If I can get her away from these guys that are over here trying to chat her up.” she smirks and stares at Eddie as she passes the bar.

He purses his lips and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Steph, I get it. “ he says, a slightly more than an acquaintance level with the woman now since she ran interference between the two of them when they couldn’t directly communicate due to work. 

“Do you?” she says, turning the phone so he can see Candy looking at a large TV on the wall, standing by a bar with three guys stood around complimenting her. She switches the camera back to her. “Because I’m not sure you do.”

“She’s a hot commodity now, I know.”

“And so are you. If you’d ever just put on your big girl panties and come over and-”

“Just give her the phone, Steph.” he groans. "I'm coming off a flight, I'm tired." 

“You’re no fun Brock. I don’t know what she sees in you.” she chuckles and holds the phone out to Candy. “Guess who just landed?” she says in a much sweeter tone. 

“Eddie!” he hears her happy voice and any worry he had about one of the men around her starts to fade. 

“Hey babe.” he says with a warm smile to the holder of his affections. 

“She looks pretty.” Venom says, hovering out of frame and watching his second favorite human. 

“Your flight okay?” she asks, as she walks to a quieter part of the bar and he sees the men she’s leaving behind watch her go.

“Yeah, it was fine. And who cares, I wanna talk about you Miss big-time TV reporter.” he grins.

“Oh hush.” she laughs. “It’s not even into the first commercial break and I’ve seen it so many times already and I’m proud of it but I’m so damn nervous.” she says in a hushed voice, standing against a wall in a hallway where she can hear him.

“If you’re proud of it that’s all that matters. I’m trying to get it to load up right now.”

“Oh you’re gonna watch it?” she says with bright eyes.

“Of course I fuckin’ am!” he says with a laugh as if he’s offended. “First thing I did when I got in the room, haven’t even gone to the bathroom or taken off my shoes.” he says enthusiastically.

The smile on her face makes Venom smile “Awwww.” he says watching her light up.

“I made Steph hold my phone so I didn’t refresh social media constantly and not enjoy the moment.”

“Very smart. As always. I’m sure it’ll go over fine. You know as well as I do that right now exposing people like this is important work.” he says in an almost preachy tone.

“So is bringing attention to exploited labor, classism and racism.” she says, referring to what he’d been working on. 

“Yeah, yeah but this is about you, Candy, not me.” he says with a nod. “You wanna watch it together? I’ve got it runnin’ now.” he suggests.

“Would you? I’ll leave you on while I watch it with everyone in the bar.”

“Sounds like a plan.” he says as Venom shifts and rests on his leg to watch the screen.

They stay on for the duration of it, except for the small space of time he runs to go pee. He pulls up Twitter and watches the comments come in, the hashtags being used and starts his first wave of responses with likes and retweets of supportive comments. He tells her the feedback is good, even though she refuses to look still. The usual and expected bitching and moaning from men is always there but Eddie doesn’t worry about Candy seeing them. She doesn’t hold much weight to most men’s opinions on the internet and he found himself grateful that she still seemed to hold him in such high esteem. They stay on face time until the show is over and everyone comes to surround her with their questions and her phone starts dinging and notifications of calls and messages start rolling in in waves too large to ignore. She sneaks the bathroom and whispers a sweet goodbye to him, giving the screen a kiss before they sign off. 

“She seems happy.” Venom coos.

“She did. I’m glad. She should be. She worked her ass off on that and it was well done. Seems other people think so as well.”

“Her success worries you.” Venom comes in with the things Eddie tries to push out of his mind. 

“I mean, sorta. Things can change when it happens.” he mutters.

“She still likes us. I can tell.” Venom tries to be supportive, speaking closely to Eddie's face so he can't ignore him.

“Yeah. Me too.” he gives a small smile in agreement.

“You know what you need to do Eddie.” he bumps his face to Eddie's temple.

“Ugh, dude I know.” he groans. 

“We love her Eddie.” he says softly. "We should be a team. Just like we are. We love each other Eddie. It feels good to be told so. You should tell her so. Make her ours as I made you mine. A joining. A pairing. Make it so she cannot leave us.”

“You’re comin’ in a little hot there man but I appreciate it.” he sighs. “You aren’t totally wrong. You know it’s just complicated. With us both being in the public now and her getting my old show and there isn’t as much time as there used to be to relax. And she’s just starting so she’s gotta put in the work to get the respect even more than I do.”

“Excuses.” he states plainly. 

“Well, we can’t do anything right this second about it. Let her enjoy her night, we’ll be seeing her soon enough.” Venom stares at Eddie, sensing the worry in him.  
\---------  
Candy stands in the bedroom of her new apartment, looking at herself in the evening gown she had on to attend a local awards ceremony for San Francisco Journalism. She’d been invited, which was surprising enough and Eddie was being recognized for his work. Her new job had alotted her more money, which she’d been saving up. But with the positive reaction from the public to her work, she’d gotten a raise and she thought it was time to move. She didn’t move that far away, over to a nearby neighborhood of Noe Valley, finding it’s quiet to be very appealing to her now. Her downtime was as precious as ever and she wanted something simpler, homier than her one-room studio apartment with its tiny shower and half-size refrigerator. She’d found an old Victorian home turned duplex and snatched it the day she looked at it. On the ground floor, a bedroom with a door, a bathroom with a tub and shower, a full kitchen and a dining room. It certainly wasn’t the great expanse of “full size” she’d known back home, but money was space here and she had enough to at least warrant a dining room that would fit a four-person table in it and a kitchen with a full sized fridge and a dishwasher. Simply not being able to watch the same tv from her bed, couch and kitchen felt like a huge leap.

She had rented a gown from a local designer. She was going for young and modern to keep up with the new brand she had to into account. A simple two-piece outfit, the skirt long and loose, cinched in at her waist with a peekaboo of her stomach under an off the shoulder sweetheart necked top. In all black, she hoped it wasn’t too severe, a punchy pink lip and side-swept curls, the extensions weighing heavily in her hair made her think it said take me seriously, but be reminded I can look good. 

She has a driver pull up to a small bunching of people before a stretch of carpeted walkway begins, a backdrop covered in sponsored logos and a grouping of photographers behind a barricade. She stands with her mask of confidence, hands around her sparkly clutch keeping her from fidgeting with her manicured nails. She’s ushered off by a lady in a headset who has the vibe of not having time for anyone’s bullshit tonight and waits to the side where people are filing through, names being ticked off on a clipboard by a woman who looks less threatening but not overly friendly. She sees others from the network, cheek air kisses and shaken hands with meeting spouses for the first time, giving and receiving vague compliments on each others work. 

She’s speaking to a local influencer who’s work she genuinely enjoys when she feels a hand on her shoulder and her nickname called in a voice that makes her heart flutter in it’s thick-accented delivery.

“Candy?” Eddie asks, only mostly certain it was her. She was so made up and he hadn’t seen her in weeks that he was left guessing until she turned around. “Or do I have to call you Candace now?” he gives her a grin. 

She keeps her cool even though she’d like to kiss him square on the mouth and tell him how damn sexy he looked in his suit. It was simple, black with a matching skinny tie and a white button-up shirt. His hair pushed to the side and parted, barely a hint of stubble on his face to keep with the rugged look that would be expected of him. She’s thankful to be wearing so much makeup because she feels her face flush at the sight of him in the well-fitted suit. 

“You can call me Candy.” she smiles, leaning to press her cheek to his, not wanting to get makeup on him, her hand on his arm as he doesn’t hide the dopey little smile he gets at the close contact to her. “You clean up good kid.” she laughs, giving him an approving glance as he looks away and shrugs.

His name is called from the woman with the clipboard. “I gotta...” he begins, pointing with his thumb and heading backward in the direction of the voice.

“I’ll find you inside later.” she says, shooing him off. 

“Candace Miller?” called out by from the same woman as she turns towards the voice with blinking eyes, still not being used to people knowing her on sight yet. “Come on,” she says motioning for her to move forward. “You can go after Eddie Brock, easier for the photog’s, they’ll probably want pictures of you both together.” she mumbles, her pen working away on the paper. 

Nodding and saying nothing, watching Eddie go ahead of her and being as charmed as everyone else at him as he turns on that masculine, confident and captivating persona she fell for first on his show that she now hosts. She’s contemplating how strange life is sometimes, reflecting n the recent turn of events when a hand ushers her forward into the onslaught of flashing lights. She takes a deep breath and sets her face in something subtle and serious. A smile in her eyes, head slightly tilted and body posed in a flattering way, she blinks slowly before them a more friendly smile, best to give them the option, she thinks. She hears her name called out in a variety of voices, seeing waving hands then Eddie’s name called, telling them to get together for pictures. It made sense, a picture to talk about the rising of one person making way for another. Their eyes give away their tentativeness to touch each other in such a public setting but to not do it would read as even more awkward. He reaches around her back and she does the same. They stand and smile while getting things shouted at them and giving the cameras their fill. She knows she’ll certainly be looking up these photos later. Suck it, people back home, this one was going on Instagram. 

They’re sat together at the ceremony with other people from their network and investigative journalists. Neither of them missed an opportunity to network and pass along information to the ones they didn’t know. Candy sits and gets to be supportive as they get closer to his speech. She’d helped him on it and everything went according to plan until he thanked her in front of everyone. She hadn’t read that part. 

Eddie was nervous but Venom was excited, as it usually went. Venom knew how important this event was to Eddie, so he was actually behaving himself. He’d helped put Eddie’s thoughts into something more concrete to help him win over Candy. Eddie wanted her to get recognition too, it was just another thing to add to the list of gestures to pay her back for believing in him when no one else would. “I know this award has my name on it and is for things I’ve done in this line of work but I didn’t get here alone. None of us have. And I wanted to thank someone who’s here tonight for her help. An example of what those who seek to tell the truth should strive to be. Someone who believes in those who don’t believe in themselves, and that included me. There’s no one better to take on what I started with The Eddie Brock Report and to take it to places I never could. I fully expect her to be receiving awards next year for the work she’s doing now. I’m proud to work with her and call her a dear friend, Candace Miller. This is for you.” he says, holding up the plaque he’d received and it took everything in her not to cry. People turn and look at her and she tries to hide her surprise in her face as they begin to clap and a lump grows and sits heavy in her throat. He moves backstage afterward for press and she’s left gulping noisily with eyes on her until the announcer comes back and moves the topic forward. 

He’s swept away in a crowd, as all the honorees were. She’s wandering, hopping from young professional to young professional, as they were the ones who knew her work best and were willing to talk. The older higher up’s flocked together, taking in their own smugness that came with being at the top of one’s career. Candy hopes she ends up at the top of her game but doesn’t forget where she came from. A lot of these people came up when the scene was new. It was a lot easier to become a tv personality in the seventies or eighties compared to today with an oversaturated market and everyone wanting their face out there. The dinosaurs held tight and ruthlessly to their positions and she couldn’t blame them, she just wished they would be so elitist and dated in their beliefs. 

She and Eddie make their way towards each other very slowly, a few steps at a time before one or both of them is caught up in another conversation with someone. They move in the direction of the hallway in the convention center, edging towards the outskirts of the huge banquet room. 

“Before someone else steals you away I want to say two things,” she says raising her fingers. “One, thank you and two, how dare you.” she laughs. “You almost made me cry.” she grins, playfully shoving his arm slightly. 

A smile that only shows up when she’s around comes across his face. His eyes soft, brow relaxed with one side pulling back farther than the other with those plush lips staying shut before they turn into each other, holding back the rest of it to not make himself painfully obvious. 

“What you’re doin’ is more important right now. I interviewed someone that was already captured, you are going after people to capture them. That’s harder.” he says with a quiet tone, standing in close, tired of the forced interactions where he’s Eddie Brock, the investigative journalist. Putting on his alter ego where he was always self-assured and clever, ball busting and fearless. He got to take an exhale, let his face fall out of the broad smile and let his voice lower while he talked to Candy. Once again she was a form of respite for him. 

“You could’ve told me you were gonna do that you know.” she gives him a soft smile. “I was 1000% caught off guard and everyone was looking at me and I probably looked like a deer in the headlights.” she chuckles.

“If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have let me.” he leans forward and grins, raising his eyebrows at her. 

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him. She begins to open her mouth, some smart ass remark about him being right but her not being happy about it as he’s yanked to the side. She turns her face to see Vanessa Kennistone, one of those elites she was mulling over earlier take Eddie’s arm like she was already very familiar with him. Without a glance to Candy, the svelt cougar pulls Eddie away as he stutters in surprise. He tries to look back to Candy before the older woman takes his chin and keeps his face on her, leading him out of the room. Candy is left with a red face, frozen, blinking rapidly in confusion. 

Her brain can’t help it, bless her. She starts running over every possible reasoning for this sort of behavior. Sometimes her quick brain, the dots it could connect, the lines it wanted to draw without any effort were more of a burden than a blessing in her personal life. She’d pulled him away like she’d hypnotized him. Did he know her already? In her absence had he been filling his needs elsewhere, he was certainly a good looking and charming enough man to play boy toy to a woman like her. Was he using her for intel? She shakes her head hard and takes a sip from the champagne flute in her hand. She needed to stop, she was upsetting herself. She takes a deep breath and waits a few minutes after they’re out of sight before pursuing. No way she was going to sit and stew in what was turning out to be red hot jealousy without proof of his wrongdoings. 

Vanessa, an older woman with a very good plastic surgeon has Eddie against a wall outside of a supply closet in the almost empty hallway outside the room where the after party was being held. Eddie is still trying to hide his surprise, not happy about how this woman was handling things, finding it extremely unappealing and rude. He didn’t want to be those things as she was a big name in the local game, but he was giving her no reason to think this behavior was okay either. She stands within inches of Eddie, a hand on his chest as her eyes narrow and looks him over, sizing him up, fucking him with her eyes without saying a word as his head pressed against the wall to create space between them. 

“Why are you hanging out with that little nobody all night huh? Give someone above a newbies pay grade some time.” she says with a deep tone, and a what she sees as a seductive smile. 

“Because she’s my friend... so... that’s why.” he says with a low brow, trying to control to high inflection of his voice in his uncomfortableness.

“Just friends huh? Her loss. My gain?” she asks with a tilt of her head. 

“I... uh...” he begins, a clearly uncertain expression on his face now. 

“Oh he’s shy.” she laughs. “You are so sexy when you blush, you know that Mr. brock? Wouldn’t have thought a man like you would get tongue-tied over a woman. Not when you look like this.” leans in and presses her lips to his, lashes fluttering shut as he holds still. 

As her timing could not be better or worse, Candy gets close enough to the recess in the wall they were hiding behind to see her kiss him. Her jaw tenses, her hands seizing up and almost breaking the thin neck of the glass she was holding. Her heart palpitates and all her biggest worries come flooding back. Eddie wouldn’t kiss someone in public if he didn’t know them. Would he? He wasn’t a make out in public on a whim sorta guy. Was he? She begins to question things she thought were certain about him. So he had been sleeping with her. Maybe him thanking her in his speech was his guilty conscience trying to free itself from sleeping with someone behind her back. But was it behind her back? They weren’t together, not in any official capacity. Did she even have the right to be jealous? She watches from the corner of her eye, trying to hear what they were saying because she was a glutton for punishment apparently. 

“You uh...you’re bein’ real nice Mrs. Vennistone but I gotta get back.” he says with a quiet shaky voice that Candy can’t make out. 

“No, you don’t. I’m right here, I’m all you need to be worried about.” she says confidently, pressing herself against him. Candy takes a noisy gulp and looks away for a moment to gather herself.

“I’d rather get back to my friend.” he states, his voice cracking. 

She pulls back and pouts. He wasn’t finding a grown woman pouting something to be considered attractive. “Why? That friend of yours used you to get what she wants, so why not use me to get what you want? She’ll be fine without you. She’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle herself.” she says in a condescending way, Candy only picking up some of the words, but it was enough to make her face go red with the insinuation.

“Excuse you?” he says louder, putting his hands on her shoulders to create more space between them.

“Candace Miller.” she says with an obvious tone and a loud sigh. Her voice annoyed enough to be loud for Candy to hear it. “She slept with you to get the show from you right?” he gives her a disgusted look. “Oh please, everyone does it. Don’t act so high and mighty. You journalists.” she rolls her eyes and tsks. 

Candy’s heart drops. Her face falling and going pale. Was that what everyone thought? With wide eyes that reflect the notion that she really should have seen coming in their wide and watery expression. She blinks rapidly, swallowing the lump in her throat and decides to remove herself from the situation. She clearly had a few things to think about. 

“That is not what happened.” he says, his chin jutting out for emphasis. 

“Oh is it not?” she suggests with a smirk, flipping her overly coiffed and sprayed, large dark hair. 

“No. She helped me out if anything. She was willing to work with me when no one else would. You’ve got no reason to talk about her like that, she got where she is because she’s smart and talented and a hard worker.” he says, starting to push back on her, Venom stays quiet but is calculating the possibility of eating this woman, wondering how bad all that hairspray would taste. 

“Alright, alright. Calm down, big boy.” she says in a condescending way, trying to reach out to touch his chest again. 

“No. We’re done here.” he says with a straightening of his posture, his voice dipping lower as his anger shows through. 

“Why? I’m offering you sex and the ability to make a connection higher up and you want to go ‘hang out’?” she says, a hand now on her hip, looking at him in disbelief. 

“Yeah. I would.” he states obviously. 

“Why?” she says more angry, shaking her head.

“Because you don’t really give a shit about me. You only care now because I’ve had a successful piece out. I only want to be around people who actually support me as a person, not because they want something from me .” he steps back and she looks him up and down with a quirked brow.

“So you’d rather hang out with your “friend” Candace than get fucked? By me? And insult me in the process?” she holds her hand to her chest, her jaw slack and chin low at the audacity of this young man.

“Well... yeah. Doing nothin’ with her would be a lot better than getting fucked by some self-centered piece of work like you.” She blinks in surprise. His face hard and certain, eye contact not wavering at the still almost disgusted look she had on her face. 

“I see you’re as reckless as ever. I shouldn’t have wasted my time on you. You’ll be sorry for talking to me like that.” she says, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. 

“I doubt that lady. Who do you think the public will believe? A has been anchor lady or a journalist who works and fights for human rights?” he says taking steps backward, his hands out, palms up at his sides. 

“I have more reach and power than you two put together.” she scoffs. 

“Maybe, but we know who we are. We aren’t out trying to sleep with someone to ignore the fact that we can't truly connect with people and try to manipulate those under us. So we’re gonna go forget about you and have a good night because we aren't assholes who want to metaphorically whip our dicks out in every conversation.” he says with an attitude-filled head shake as he lets his articulating hands fall to his sides when he turns his back to her. 

Candy is standing just outside the door, on the other side of the nearly empty entryway where only a few people smoking were idling. She considered bumming a cigarette even though she didn’t smoke, she just felt the mood warranted it. She ignores his fast footsteps, acting like she couldn’t identify them by sound alone, knowing the shoulder shifting saunter that Eddie moved about the world with. 

“Hey, Candy.” he says softly, coming up and touching her bare arm as he tried to hide the anger on his face. “You wanna get out of here?”

She gives him a curiously blank expression, eyes filled with emotion but blinking fast. “Why? The people here clearly want to talk to you.” she says with her lips tight as she speaks. 

He tilts his head at her. “I don’t...” he sighs and his brow lowers. “I don’t really feel like this is where I should be.” he says quietly. 

“What are you talking about? You got recognized.” she states obviously. 

“That's not what I mean.” he says with a wince of his face. 

“Then what do you mean?” she asks, her face still painfully indifferent.

“These people...” he shakes his head, looking back into the building. 

“That woman?” she asks with sad eyes under a lifted brow.

“Yeah.” he says, noticing her closed off body language. 

“I saw her kiss you.” she blurts out, looking away from him. “You don’t have to pretend like you need me around anymore you know.” she says softly. “You’ve been doing fine on your own...clearly.” she says with anger in her eyes and tone. 

“Woah, wait, what?” he asks with a higher pitched voice, his hands held up in surrender. 

“I heard what she said.” she mutters out, looking to the ground and crossing her arms. 

“What’d you hear exactly? Because I think you’re missing the more important pieces of that conversation." he says with a huff of a laugh at her attitude.

“I heard her say I slept with you to get the job. So that must be what everyone thinks right?” she rolls her eyes and sighs, face hiding how upset she was. 

“Candy, no, that woman was being a bitch, don’t listen to her. She was jealous I was trying to leave and get back to you.” he says with pleading eyes. 

She meets his eyes again, still sad and hesitant. 

“She was! And I told her that’s not what happened! That you got the job because you’re good. Plain and simple.” he says quietly but with enthusiasm.

She blinks slowly. “I should’ve known people would think I slept with you to get it.” she whispers.

“Is that not why you slept with me?” he jokes.

She slaps his arm and frowns.

“Ow, okay. Bad timing for that joke. Just tryin’ to lighten the mood.” he says rubbing his arm. “Who cares if that’s a rumor anyway? We both know that’s not true.”

“Easy to say because you’re a man. You’re not the one whose work is being undermined.” her voice tight and tone still severe. 

“That...” he sighs. “That is true.” he nods. “But everyone really likes your work though. So what if they think we slept together?” he leans in closer and speaks softly, eyes sad for her being upset, neither he or Venom wanted to see her upset. 

“I don’t care that think we slept together, I care about it in relation to the job.” she sighs. “And we did sleep together. We...” she looks around. “ We do. Or, did. Had been. Whatever.” she shakes her head. “So it’s not totally false.”

“Even if we hadn’t, I would have recommended you for that job. You can’t think I mentioned you just because of the sex.” his brow low and voice cracking as the desperation to convince her was heard in his voice.

She stops a moment and takes it in, taking a deep breath and willing herself to look into his soft eyes that were pleading with her to not feel sad. “No.”

“And even if we weren’t sleeping together, they might say it anyway. So either way, it’s a lie and it doesn’t matter. People like your work, Candy. You’re getting to help people, that’s what’s important. Not what some people with sticks up their asses think.”

“Yeah.” she says with an angry sigh. ”I know.” she says defensively, chewing her cheek. “I’m just...” she rolls her eyes and sighs loudly, closing her eyes and shaking her head before chewing on her thumbnail for a moment. Eddie stands still and lets her process her feelings, seeing them shifting over her face. She furrows her brow and meets his eyes again. “So are you like...” she purses her lips and vaguely motions with her hand to nothing. “Sleeping with her or something?"

“What the- Oh, god no!” he says with a disgusted look on his face. He sees she thought he had been with Vanessa and it clicks for him why she was so bent out of shape. “You thought me and her? That we were?” his face takes a more humorous turn. 

“So took you away and kissed you, what was I supposed to think?” she mumbles, lowering her head in shame. 

“That’s she’s a sexual predator?” he suggests, giving her a light-hearted smile. 

“Sorry I just...” she shrugs. “I dunno what I was thinking.” she mumbles again, which was also unlike her. 

“Not with that smart, pretty head of yours that’s for sure.” he offers to make her feel better. She gives him a fleeting, weak smile. “What’s wrong? Somethings up with you.”

She swallows her pride and tries to figure out how to express these feelings in a mature way besides you kissed another girl and it made me sad. But we aren’t even dating so it shouldn’t matter to me at all. But it does. “I thought since we hadn’t... been together in a while that maybe you were seeing her now.” she admits, her eyes shifting back up to his, he could see the uncertainty in them and he was touched by it. 

“No, she’s just a sleazy cougar, not my type at all” he huffs out a laugh. “You think I’ve been seeing someone else?” he asks in almost a whisper, lowers his head in close, his shoulders shifting towards her and hunching.

“It’s a reasonable assumption. I don’t know what you do when I’m not around.” she says quietly and defensively. 

“Work." he says with a soft chuckle." Work and miss you." he states, his lips pouting out and looking her over. "I’ve just been busy. This writing and traveling around so much is new and I’m still getting used to it. That’s all. You’ve not come around either, have you been seein’ somebody?” he asks to make his point. 

“No. I’ve been busy.” she says with a light tone, the lines around her mouth softening as she loses her anger and hurt she’d worked up in herself. 

“Well see... in the same boat.” she nods and looks away. “That’s not all, is it? You’re still being distant and that means something’s wrong. You’re always up in my shit about everything. Tell me... Someone do somethin’ while I was back there with Mrs. Step Mom in a porno?” he offers her that dopey grin of his and her chest hurts. 

She swallows audibly and sighs. He was good at observation she’d give him that. 

He works through the events up to this in his head out loud. “You thought I was with someone else, you saw her kiss me and you got upset,” he says, his hand on her arm, turning her body towards his. “Are you...?” he blinks and leans in close, trying to hide the teasing that wanted to rise in his voice. “Jealous Candy?”’

She opens her mouth to say no but that’d be a lie so she shuts it again and frowns.

“You are aren’t you? Oh, babe, come here.” he says with a warm friendly tone. “Why would someone like you be jealous? The only woman getting my time right now is you.” he takes her into his arms by surprise. She’s taken back by it enough to forget there might be people watching them and her frown breaks, feeling her heart flutter with his words. 

 

“It’s really childish of me, sorry. I should know better.” she shakes her head and shuts her eyes. It was if she'd forgotten what liking someone felt like. Those sharp, knee-jerk reactions from strong emotions that came with it that could make even a logical person like her react too quickly, a little too harshly in defense of her heart. 

“Nah, now if you’d gone all real housewives on her and yanked her wig off then that would’ve been immature.” he jokes, holding her shoulders and looking at her face, finally cracking a smile. “There’s my pretty girl,” he says and gives her cheek a soft a soft rap with his knuckles. “Why would I wanna hang out with anyone but you? You’re the only one that wanted to be around me when everyone else hated me.” he says with earnest eyes. He watches her face soften, hoping his words were alleviating some of her worry about his loyalty to her. 

“And now everyone loves you.” she says with a hint of a smirk. 

“Nah. They just act like they do. They just want my time for selfish reasons.” he dismisses the statement with a shake of his head. 

“I know the feeling.” she says quietly, sighing out afterward. 

“Yeah, it comes with the territory. Sucks. But at least we know we won’t be like that, huh?” he says trying to cheer her up further. 

“No. We won’t.” she untenses her shoulders and gives him a smile he’s been working towards seeing again. 

“All you ever wanted me for was to do some good.” he smirks. “Well I mean...and a few other things” he laughs.

She shoves his arm and grins “Charming as ever.” she shrugs “But also correct.” her mischievousness was back and his chest feels warm as they look at each other for a weighted moment. 

“So how about we blow this popsicle stand, huh? We can go do nothing together instead of stay here? We’ve got tonight to hang out, when was the last time we just went and hung out?” his voice raises and almost cracks in its sincerity. 

“It’s been months.” she says exasperatedly. 

“Too long. C’mon. Let's go eat some greasy food together like we used to.” he says taking her hand and tugging her forward.

“Dressed like this?” she laughs, hand motioning between the two of them.

“You look beautiful, why not?” he asks with an unintentionally cocky nod of his chin.

A soft smile comes across her face with a hint of blush at his compliment. He’d never called her that before. 

“Did I not tell you that yet?” he leans in. “Because I should’ve. You look great tonight, Candy. Or can I say hot? That’s not as sweet and I gotta keep my brand in mind of bein’ sweet with you don’t I?” he teases as her face stays flushed and she grins at the attention. “Oh, that got her blushin’.” He teases and laughs, thumb rubbing over the back of her hand he was holding. “C’mon gorgeous,” he says, putting his arm around your shoulders. “They not complimenting you on the job? They should be. You’re a hell of a lot better to look at than I was.” he laughs, kissing the side of her head. “How do you feel about poutine? I was just in Vancover and the shits insane. There’s a food truck court a couple streets over, what d’ya say?” he asks, nodding his head towards the street.

“I say bring on the poutine, eh.” she chuckles, eyes wide with affection in them instead of worry now as she watched the happy expressions pass over his handsome face.  
\----------  
They walk down the quiet street to Candy’s home after they get out of their ride. She ’s holding a corndog in one hand, she and Eddie alternate bites as he carries her shoes for her, his suit jacket draped over shoulders along with his arm. 

“This is me.” she says, looking up at the pastel-colored house, opening up the door with her key.

“This is very nice. A little...family oriented of a neighborhood for you but, it looks nice.” he says, taking in the well taken care of street. He walks into the dark house, the place smelled the same as her old apartment, but she looked like she fit in here better, she should be surrounded by nice things, he thought. 

“It’s quiet and I wanted somewhere I could hide away when I wasn’t working.” she says, flicking on a lamp and taking her shoes from him, setting them on a bench by the door.

“I get it.” he empathizes and nods, eyes taking in the rooms. 

She watches his face, wondering what thoughts were moving around behind his eyes, as she could tell by the way the corners of his eyes crinkled that he was distracted. “I had more fun out eating with you than I have in months.” she admits, her soft words making his head turn and look down at her. “I really miss having you around.” her lips purse and his pout slightly as she steps towards him. 

“I miss you too. No one else laughs at my jokes.” he grins and she smiles, moving to put her hands on his sides. 

“Well, it takes a certain sense of humour with you. And patience.” she chuckles, a playful look on her face as her arms slowly wrap around him.

“And I’m thankful every day you put up with it.” he beams down at her as her eyes turn softer in the dim light as she looks over his face.

“I know you have to fly out tomorrow...” she begins, tilting her head, her eyes at his lips and giving away her intention. “But would you wanna spend the night?” her voice is nearly a whisper as if she was afraid to ask. 

“Why let the night end now? This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.” he admits, a charming smile looking down at her as his soft and smooth voice wash over her, bringing goosebumps to her skin. One of his hands smooths her hair on one side, fingers trailing down her neck as he looked her over. 

“You...interested in making us both feel better than we have in a few months?” she asks, leaning in and he mirrors her, an arm snaking around her to pull her close.

“I’ve had to look at you in this dress all night. It’s been on my mind. A big distraction if you ask me. Almost made me forget my speech” he grins and huffs out a soft laugh. 

“That a yes?” she asks with a shake of her head. 

“Always a yes for you.” he says with his crooked charming smile before she pulls his him down by his tie to her for a long overdue kiss. His hand moves to the side of her face instantly, wanting to feel the soft skin and hair that he’d missed falling asleep in. The kiss isn’t rushed and doesn’t feel as desperate as either expected. A slow passing of lips and gentle caresses of tongue come and go in a relaxed expression of their fondness for each other. 

Despite feeling warm and tingly, and hopeful for what was coming to a head for them, Candy pulls away to make her intentions known. There wasn’t time to be vague anymore. “Eddie?” she whispers against his lips and he hums at the sound. “I really have missed you.” her large doe eyes blink up at him and he slumps at the feeling they give him. 

“God, I’ve really missed you too. Not just this...although I’ve certainly missed this but... just bein' around you.” he almost whines.

“We should stop missing each other and try to start finding each other instead.” she says with a lighthearted tilt of her head. 

“What’d’you mean babe?” he asks with a furrowed brow.

“I hate that it took me getting jealous like a little girl to say something.” she rolls her eyes at herself. “But I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else.” she admits, a passing sadness for the thought crossing her face. “And...I don’t want to sleep with anyone but you.” 

“I don’t want you to be with anyone else either.” he confesses, his brow softening along with the look in his eyes. 

“So should we...agree to be exclusive?”

“I made that decision for myself a long time ago, to be honest.” he says with a subtle smile. 

“Yeah. I suppose I did too.” she huffs out an embarrassed laugh at the realization. “You would like to...be with me, wouldn’t you Eddie? Like a couple... together.” she says with a nervous glance. 

“I would love to.” he almost swoons out at her. “You’re my favorite person, really, you know.” he says with a smile. “I’ve wanted to tell you how much I just...really, really like you for a while but I didn’t want to scare you off. Y’know after what you said about me not having my shit together.” he winces slightly. “Which was entirely valid.” his voice inflects upward in agreement. 

“I know I said some harsh things after we first slept together. But you’ve really put in the work Eddie. I’m proud of you.” she says placing her hand on his cheek for a moment. “And by suggesting this I don’t want you to think I’m ashamed or something of you, because I’m not. The total opposite really,” she says shaking her head fast. “But would you mind if we kept this on the down low? With the possibility of rumors about me sleeping with you to get the job I don’t know if it’d look good for us to be open publicly about it.” she says quietly, hoping she wouldn’t hurt his feelings, but she had a career, a brand, and a reputation to keep up. 

“No, I totally get that Candy, I do.” he nods. “You gotta protect yourself now.” he says sweetly. 

“But I thought if we were honest about wanting to be together that made it would make it easier for us to reach out and see each other more. Because now it’s not weird to text at the end of a long day that we wanna see the other.”

“So many unsent texts that I thought sounded too needy I’ve drafted saying just that.” he chuckles. 

“I’ve thought about it more times than I’d like to admit.” she smiles. “I didn’t want our jobs pulling us apart and then we become just some people that used to sleep together back in the day, you know?” she says with a heartfelt honesty that makes Venom break his silence and make a content noise of appreciation for Candy and her sweet words, making Eddie’s brain feed his hunger with the love drugs again. 

“I’d never let that happen.” he whispers, touching the side of her face again. “We can make time for each other better now. You’re closer to the airport too, if you’re home I can stay here the night before I fly out.”

“Starting tonight?” she smiles, tiptoeing to brush her nose against him.

“Starting tonight.” he coos back, tilting his head slowly. 

“I hope you don’t need a lot of sleep, Eddie.” she grins, a little giggle escaping her as he smiles against his lips.

“I’ll just be getting my sleep on the plane, I take it?” he chuckles.

“Oh yeah. I’m gonna introduce you to being with me properly.” they bat their lashes and hum contently at each other before locking together in another kiss. Unlike just minutes before, this kiss surges forward, feeling desperate in the best sort of way. She lets her guard down and he shows her how much he needs her. They no longer have to say they miss each other out loud because they simply show the other with how their bodies react with everything being out in the open now. Well... almost everything.


	11. Exposing expose'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candy's inflated ego leads her to make a bad decision. This leads to Venom having to reveal himself to save her. And now this new found threesome have to figure out where to go from here.

Candy and Eddie had fallen in a nice flow of come and go with each other. They had been right, being able to reach out and simply ask for the other was working well. He'd slept over at her place, she'd slept over at his, meeting up for meals and even a late night quickie in her office once was holding up pretty well for them so far. They were busy, but they were happy. 

Venom kept nagging Eddie, threatening to show himself so he would tell her about him. Venom was growing very impatient and Eddie took to spending more time in public with Candy instead of nights in to avoid this happening as long as he could. He kept Venom fed in the meantime as best he could, and that was the most helpful thing he could've done for himself. This didn't stop the insults from coming though.

"Coward." Venom would whisper into his ear as he left Candy's place.

"Shut up." Eddie would groan.

"Chicken. Weakling. Pussy. Wimp. Baby." he'd nag.

"I get it you got a fuckin' thesaurus." Eddie sighs. He knew he was right but he was so happy, and Candy was happy and he didn't want to lose it. He didn't know if he could lose it again. But as he does, Venom pushes him to be better. He wasn't just Eddie anymore, he was Venom and together they could be so much more than they had been apart. And that fear of being alone was useless now. 

"If you'd told her before you got together this wouldn't be an issue. You're acting like a jerk again. A liar. A dumb ass. It wasn't a big secret and now it is something you are keeping from her. Now you are breaking her trust. And it will be all your fault if she leaves us. Again. You're doing this to yourself, Eddie. You cannot learn your lesson can you?" Venom hisses and judges. 

"I'll tell her when it's a good time to tell her. She's in the middle of a big story right now, I don't wanna throw her off her game."

"You are a cur. You should not lie to her like this."

"Oh you've got the fancy words out now." he rolls his eyes.

"Distraction. Excuses." Venom spits out. 

"Are you just jealous? You want to be able to be with her too? That it?"

"No. I'm disappointed in you." he rumbles out and he knows Eddie feels it within himself too.   
\------

Both Eddie and Steph both were loving Candy's new place. It was better than what either of them had. Eddie was paying off back logged bills still and Steph still at her same job weren't in a position to move up so soon. Candy was happy to share with both of them, they house sat when she wasn't there and helped keep her company in the quiet neighborhood when the other wasn't around. It had even worked out by accident that Eddie and Steph had been staying over at the same time on a few occasions, which no one seemed to mind as they soon found their missing of Candy and potential for eye-rolling level jokes were strongly shared between them. 

Candace had been deep in an investigation for a fighting ring. WIth her new platform she was ready to get back to her first social injustice she focused on, the homeless, and give a platform for awareness to it. She had assisstants and PA's that helped her go to and from places, recording and scouting and general snooping of suspected areas of interest. It wasn't unusual for local gangs to run drugs through the homeless areas of the Mission, this had been going on for a long time. Street corners with members rubbing elbows with tech start ups on the same street made for an interesting mix. This apparently had led to another case of exploiting the homeless. With promises of money or drugs, they would be lured into old warehouses or abandoned lots, where members would watch them fight for whatever was up for grabs. It was a dangerous job, but the cops were only interested in drug money, they didn't care about the people. Candy did. She caught wind from one of her informants at the shelter about a meetup spot that had been used more than once. So she sees an opportunity. With the sun still up she figures it's safer. Armed with a phone set to send out 911 texts and call emergency services with the tap of a button and a gun she'd recently trained and licensed in a holster under her shirt, she felt ready to take on another big bad. 

She didn't want to endanger any of her employees or coworkers, she would've felt entirely guilty and responsible, so she calls up Eddie to see if he's up for some good old fashion detective work.It's a Sunday and that usually meant a travel day, prep day or meeting a deadline for Eddie. She tells him she has a lead, that she doesn't want to wait for it to get cold and is gonna check it out and asks if he's interested. He doesn't think much of her vagueness, she usually was when it came to work since they dealt with sensitive information. So as he's trying to complete an article draft to send it before midnight, he grumbles and tells her he can't, that he needs to finish up but he'll call her later. Without being offended, Candy tells him she'll just text him after she's finished, that she'd be near his neck of the woods anyway. He agrees with a soft smile and a heavy sigh, wishing he could go out and get his hands dirty with her instead of being stuck inside working with an increasingly hungry symbiote. 

So Candy makes the decision to go alone. She gives Steph all her information as to where she'd be going and she is not happy about it. She lectures her and tells her she's being reckless, that if one of her people tried to do this she'd give them hell. But she doesn't listen, Candy is tenacious and when she feels those she cares about are at stake, and her inflated ego from her recent successes, she leaves anyway. 

She circles the old warehouse, surrounded by desolate and decaying buildings with for lease signs on them. Broken windows and overgrown parking lots, the only thing she sees besides her were stray dogs and birds, she walks confidently, hand on her phone in her pocket and starts to close in on the specific building. She finds an old busted service door, a large piece of plywood over it that had recently been moved, the dust and debris around it was ddisturbed and the door behind it was ajar. She moves it just enough to get through. The metal door is heavy and scrapes the ground, uneven on its warped hinges as she makes her way into the tall, hollow beige painted brick building. Windows with lots of tiny panes, many broken with no particular rhyme or reason let in more light into the space. She sees rooms that used to be offices, for she's guessing was a factory of some sort. Over turned filing cabinets and paper garbage line the cement block walls with their single, wide windows to see through. The wire lined glass made it hold together for the most part, but it'd been smashed many times over. She guessed by the metal trashcan that lay on its side a few feet away. The usual graffiti, some gang-related, some teens drawing dicks and writing 'hail satin' unironically cover the inside walls. The ground is damp in spots, leaves, and puddles, papers, condoms and drug paraphernalia are littered about. She watches for syringes and plastic baggies, stips of rubber and spoons, remnants of busted glass pipes crunch under her feet. She moves to the center of the room, a large circle spray painted very roughly lays in the middle. She walks it, taking pictures with her phone, noting the blood splatters within it, the abandoned bloodied clothes and the signs of struggle among the lines of upright and strewn crates and boxes that surround the circle. There was definitely something going on here. But she didn't have enough evidence to really do anything about it. As she takes pictures, her phone buzzes. It'd been a few hours now since she'd called Eddie that afternoon, she answers quietly as she sees it's him.

"Hey." she whispers.

"Hey. Why are you whispering?" he whispers back.

"I'm at the spot I was talking about."

"That still doesn't answer my question." he snarks. 

"I can't see outside so I don't want anyone to know I'm in here." she says obviously, walking back towards the door. 

"You trespassing?" his voice inflects.

"Well duh." she says with a roll of her eyes

"Candy are you there by yourself?" he asks more seriously.

"Yeah, no one else could come-"

"Get out of there now." he says sternly.

"I'm leaving, I just wanted pictures. I needed some sort of evidence." she retorts.

"Candy I swear to god, you get out of there now and go home or I'm gonna come get you myself."

He doesn't hear her respond.

"Candy?" he asks more panicked.

He hears a rustling sound.

"Someone's outside." he hears her whisper much lower. She'd ran into one of the abandoned offices, barricaded herself in an old coat closet where the smell was bad enough to make her gag.

"You in trouble? I'll call someone. You okay?"

"I don't know who it is. I gotta go. They can't know I'm here." she says curtly and hangs up.

"Don't you fuckin' hang up on me!" he shouts and is met with the beep of a disconnected line. "GODDAMMIT!" he shouts, eyes shifting quickly over his apartment. 

"Where is she?" Venom asks. 

"I don't...I don't remember...did she say?" his voice fast and high pitched.

"No. Who would know?" he asks, trying to hide how nervous Eddie was making him. 

"Stephanie. Steph would know." he says in an almost slurred risen voice as he punches her contact information. 

"Steph? Where the fuck is Candy?"

"Her dumbass went to an abandoned warehouse for some fight club thing." she says with an annoyed sigh.

"AND YOU LET HER?!" he shouts.

"NO. I did not LET her. I told her not to but you try making her listen. You fuckin' journalists and your ambition." she rolls her eyes. 

"Text me the address right now. Right when I hang up, you got it?" he orders.

"Why?"

"Just fuckin' do it. I'm going to go get her, she's not safe." He didn't want Steph to panic and he knew he had the tools to take care of trouble himself, he just had to get there in time. 

"Okay, shit..yeah okay." she mumbles, hanging up and sending it.

Eddie's phone dings as he leaves his apartment through the window, venom carrying him with extended himbs down the fire escape to his bike. "You remember this okay? You know where this is?" he asks aloud to his partner. 

"Yes. Go fast. I will make sure we do not wreck." he says sternly, just as worried about her as Eddie was. 

Eddie zips through the streets, and thankfully she isn't too far away. He pulls up, seeing escalades and crotch rockets outside the building in question. He knew this was bad. 

"You get me up on the roof?" he asks, and before he can receive an answer Venom envelopes his body and bounds onto the roof to find a place to get a good look. 

"Eddie." he growls, looking through a hole in the ceiling, seeing Candy pushed in front of a grouping of men. 

"Oh shit." Eddie squeaks. "We gotta get her."

"We have permission to eat these men?"

"Yes, yes, whatever we gotta do. They're bad guys, they're' gonna hurt her." he rushes out. Venom is about to crawl his way discreetly back down the building, but one of the men lay his hands on Candy and shouts in her face, backhanding her and pushing her to the ground. It lights a fire inside him that he only knew from fearing for Eddie. She was theirs and no one got to hurt her. His large fists raised, black obsidian boulders bashing through the weakened place in the roof. One time. Two times and it breaks through, sending debris and a grand distraction down to the floor where he lands on all fours, creating a blockade with Candy behind him. 

As if she wasn't terrified enough, her gun already drawn as she's rolled onto the ground, her eyes almost bug out of her head, kicking herself back as she sat on her butt, creating space between her and the monster. A loud shrill screech, an eardrum reverberating roar comes from the inky body of the beast, as it moves faster than she can almost comprehend in her shock, knocking men into walls so hard the cement cracks. It grabs them and bites their heads off, eating some whole as they shoot at it and it goes unphased. She moves quickly, trying to find a place to hide from it and the gunshots. She stays low, not wanted to chance catching a stray bullet and hides behind a pile of crates, covering her head and trying to control her breathing. 

The chaos stops. The screams cease and an eerie quiet comes across the large open space. Her eyes haven't blinked since the creature appeared, her breathing shaky and uneven as her hands shook. 

"Candy?" she hears the low, bass filled voice ask. 

She gulps and makes a helpless sound. 

"We will not hurt you." it says. 

She hears the feet padding towards her slowly. She takes a deep breath, a loud gulp and with balled fists she wills herself to turn to face the source of the reassurance. She's shaking, but she's trying not to. WIth her jaw tight she lowers her brow, trying to appear more in control, slowly standing and turning, finding herself face to face with a giant quivering mass of black, white veins pulse and squirm across the broad expanse of its humanoid form. It stands nearly seven feet tall, built like an action figure with large and bulky limbs, it's hairless head with large slanted, opalescent eyes focus and blink as it looks at her. A mouth opens to speak, revealing a mouthful of teeth she'd only ever dreamed of being in the mouth of some megalodon dinosaur shark from her childhood nightmares. 

With the reveal of it's most certainly lethal jaws, she whimpers and stumbles backward into a crate, not falling but the look of terror clear on her face. Venom slumps his posture, retreating it's forward-leaning stance as Eddie is telling him he's scaring her. 

"Candy." he states again.

"Wh-wha what...? You?" she squeaks out. "What are you? You know my name?" she says with more confidence, leaning forward slightly, eyes not leaving it's as she tries to wrap her head around what she's seeing. She must've gotten hit in the head and this is all a hallucination. Some strange thing that happens when you're in a coma or something of that nature. But it felt real. It sounded real. 

 

"Yes we do." he says simply, more quietly. 

"We? Are there...oh shit are there other ones...oh god." she rushes out looking to the door and the windows quickly, backing against a wall and her chest starting to rise and fall quickly again. 

"Yes. But none like us. They are not here. They cannot hurt you." he says, it's fingers that point into claws, rest at its sides. 

"Are you gonna hurt me?" she rasps out and the sound hurts Eddie deep in his chest. 

"No. Never. Eddie would never allow it." he says with a slow shake of his head.

"EDDIE?!" she says loudly, her chin hutting back into her neck in surprise at the mention of his name. "Whatthefuck? Eddie? How the fuck do you know Eddie?" she says quickly, her mouth open and her eyes worried. 

"We...are Eddie. We are Venom." he says, it's massive paws moving to its chest. 

"Lemme see her, you're scaring the shit out of her, man, change back." Eddie says from inside the symbiote's protection. He slowly soaks back into Eddie's skin, shrinking back down into the familiar form she knew and loved. 

She stands with her mouth agape, her face contorting through several emotions, mainly different expressions of shock and confusion. "Eddie?" she whispers, eyes darting around the room again, checking to see if this was some glitch in the matrix she was experiencing because she was having a hard time comprehending that this could be real. 

"Yeah. Uh...hiya Candy." he says with a reluctant wince, holding his hands up as if he were surrendering.

She blinks fast and stutters, mouth opening and closing like a fish as she can't find words to express herself.

"I guess there's somethin' I should tell ya." he says rubbing the back of his beck and grinning nervously.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" she shouts, not angry, feet stomping and fists clenched, her eyes looking him over, head shaking back and forth.

"I can explain." he says with a frown.

"YOU FUCKING BETTER! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DUDE?!" she screeches, moving closer, head guiding the way as she confronts him.

Venom's head with it's vein like attachments to Eddie's body forms and slithers up near his head and she makes a nervous noise and backs away again. "We uh..." Eddie swallows and smacks his lips. "I." he says putting his hands to his chest.

"We." Venom says, looking to Eddie.

"Yeah uh...both of us. We're this thing. Together."

"Uh huh?" she says with a mixed look of confusion and uncertainty.

"I am a symbiote. An alien from another planet. I was brought here. Eddie and I have bonded. I need him to live on your planet. We help each other. We are one in the same now. Together, we are Venom." he explains slowly and calmly as Eddie is swimming over his head in guilt at how terrified he'd made her. 

"Venom?" she asks flatly, addressing the alien head, trying to take in its words and make sense of them.

"Yeah, that's his name." Eddie chimes in.

"Our name."

"Our name yeah. When we're together ya know. Like you saw." he gestures to nothing in particular.

"Uh," she says before taking a deep breath, raising her hands up and lowering them to steady herself. "So..." she begins. "An alien life form... this... gooey guy here." she says looking to the head and gesturing with her hand.

"Symbiote." he clarifies. 

"This..." she shakes her head in disbelief again."This symbiote." she clarifies. "You're bonded? Like... physically right. LIke symbiotic?"

"Yeah, he needs me to live. I'm his host." Eddie says with a hesitant face.

She stares at them without saying anything for a moment, blinking with her mouth open, eyes shifting between the both of them. "This." she shakes her head quickly and raises her hands. "This is a lot." she says in an offended tone. She turns and takes a few steps, mumbling to herself. "You think you find a nice guy and he's been abducted by a fucking alien." she groans, hand running through her hair as she exhales loudly.

"Not abducted. Chosen. By me. We are extremely compatible. We work as one now." Venom elaborates. 

She puts her hands on her hips and looks around the room that's starting to grow dark. "Okay?" she says shrugging. What else was she supposed to say to all this? 

"She said we were nice." Venom says with a happier tone. Misreading the context of her statement. 

"Not exactly what she meant, man." he mumbles back. "Uh..." Eddie steps towards her and clears his throat. "It's gettin' dark we need to get goin' before more of those guys show up." he says, hesitantly reaching out to touch Candy's shoulder. He wanted to touch her, to know she was okay, but he'd lost that privilege, for now, he sees as she jumps out of her skin at the feeling, stepping away from him and putting her hands up between them. 

She takes a shaky breath, eyes fluttering as she looks at the ground, ashamed of her reaction, but she was still entirely rocked by all this. There were too many questions to even form coherent thoughts. "Yeah. We should." she says softly.

"I got my bike. We could go back to my place? Or yours...whatever you want. I don't wanna make you anymore uncomfortable than I have. I'm sorry about this...you finding out this way. Can you...can you ride with me back?"

"With him?" she asks, pointing to Venom.

"Yeah he...he's been around a while now." he admits, wincing again.

"He has?" she says, eyes growing wide again.

"Yeah, there's...a lot to tell you Candy. And I wanna answer everything. I want you to know everything, okay? Can we get you safe? Can you ride home with me?" he asks reaching out for her.

She nods and lowers her gaze. "Yeah let's...let's go back to my place. I'd feel...better there." she says awkwardly avoiding Venom's staring. 

"Quit starin' man, you're making her nervous. Go away for a little bit, we gotta get her home." he says, moving forward with a polite nod to her as he opens the door. Venom dissipates into Eddie and he reaches out for her hand to help her out of the narrow door. 

She hesitates and it breaks his heart. She looks at his hand for a moment, and he leaves it still, eyes wide and sad as he watches the fear of him move across her face. She looks up at him, one smooth sweep of her eyes to his before moving back to his hand and finally taking it.   
\-------

They enter her house, she's quieter than he's ever known her to be before. He quickly texts Steph he's got her at home and she's fine so they don't get interrupted. He fills a pack with ice and brings it to her. She looks at him confused.

"For your face." he says sweetly.

"Oh. Right." she shakes her head for a moment. "That." she says, moving to put it against her cheek. 

He sits next to her on the love seat, where they'd been so close so many times before. But he keeps his distance this time. She went and changed out of her dirty clothes, already whooshing away in the washer beforehand. They share an awkward silence, the shifting of the bag of ice the only noise. 

"You wanna ask me questions?" he finally breaks the silence. 

"Yeah I'm just...I'm still shocked. I think. I'm wondering if any of this is happening at all." she admits, not looking at him.

"I would like to assure you that it is. Most are confused by a new concept such as this. But you are very smart. Ask us questions, we will answer. Then we can lose this awkwardness." Venom states matter of factly.

"Man, why ya gotta bring it up like that it makes it worse."

"It is clear she is uncomfortable. We do not want her to be. This is the solution."

Candy watches their bickering and it humanizes the amorphous goo for her. 

"But when there's tension you don't just say there's tension. We can both feel it we know." his face was clear with agitation.

"But this solves the problem."

"It's a matter of tact, man. You gotta know how to handle people and their emotions." he says annoyed. 

"You barely have control over yours Eddie. You are in no place to be telling a lifeform with 600 million years of knowledge how to problem solve." he sass's back.

They both hear a tiny huff of a laugh from Candy who is watching them with a much softer face. They turn their heads at the same time and watch her and her subtle smile appear. 

"So you have your own, like, personality and stuff, huh?" she says, making eye contact with Venom. This was good, Eddie thought. This was progress.

"Yes. I am a culmination of all I have learned from all my hosts and all their interactions and knowledge they hold."

"So Eddie isn't your first."

"No. There have been many others." he keeps his voice soft.

"Why did you come to earth?"

"We were taken by a man you know as Carlton Drake. I escaped. The others that came with me...died." 

"Carlton Drake?" she asks, looking at Eddie.

"Yeah. Venom here was a part of the big takedown of the Life Foundation."

"Oh?" she says surprised.

"I found Eddie when he broke in. We bonded, living with him made me see things from a different perspective. Together we saved the planet. We stopped my team leader from returning home to bring others to Earth."

She blinks and looks back over to Eddie. "Save earth? When you broke in?" she asks, tilting her head with an accusatory tone. 

"Yeah... I uh..." he shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Tell her Eddie. No secrets. You said no secrets when she found out about us." 

"I would appreciate no secrets. No secrets is going to be the only way I don't break up with you for this." she states rather coldly. And he suspected he deserved it.

"Remember when I said I was sick?" he begins with a weary voice.

"I fucking knew you weren't sick." she says with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I lied. But, it was I'm sick or I have a symbiote who needs to eat people to survive now."

"He didn't want to lose you." Venom interjects.

"Oh, c'mon man." Eddie mumbles and looks away. 

Candy's resolves falters, with Venom's admission. 

"A scientist came to me, tellin' me I was right about what I was accusin' Drake of... the stuff that got me blacklisted. I wasn't gonna do anything about it, but people were dyin' Candy. They were takin' homeless people and testing on them and they were dyin' and it wasn't fair. He was insane, he really was." he says and sighs. "I wanted to prove myself. To you and to everyone else. I could redeem my name, get my life back if I could get in there and get proof."

"He wanted to be better... for you." Venom once again interjects with what really should be said but what Eddie was too afraid to admit. Once again Candy's heart softens. 

"I.." he slumps and meets her eyes with his ashamed ones. "I did." he nods and looks away. "I wasn't gonna get any better livin' how I was. And you deserved better... and you knew that and I didn't see any other way to be worth your time unless I was somebody again."

"When I told you I thought you should get your shit together...breaking into the Life Foundation isn't what I meant." she says with a sigh.

"I know I just. I had to. I couldn't keep livin' in the shadow of it." he shakes his head. 

"This is the part where I come in." Venom gives what he thinks is a smile and she sheepishly returns it. 

"Yeah, I broke in with the doctors help and then it all happened real fast... Venom bonded to me, we escaped, I tried to go to Anne to have her tell somebody about what I saw. I had pictures, proof."

"You went to Anne?" she asks with a much less enthusiastic voice.

"She was a big lawyer, she had connections no one else did. What I did to Drake got her fired too cause we were togehter and I got the information from her so she was a victim in all this too 'cause 'a me." it all comes spilling out and it's an odd pleasurable pain to feel, coming clean.

She looks to Venom to see if he's lying, as he seems to be the one telling her the full truth. "This is true. She was the only one that coule help us. Eddie hurt her, she deserved the redemption as well." he states simply. 

"Her new boyfriends a surgeon, and I was acting all kinds of crazy. All that was true that I told you, about the..." he pauses, "parasite..." he whispers " but it was because of him." he nods to Venom. " I didn't know what was happening to me and I wasn't in control and we were fighting for control and Dan, that's his name, Dan, he took me and tried to get me better. But when I got back home Drake's men came after me. There was a big chase-"

She interrupts his story. "Holy shit that bike chase was you." she says with wide concerned eyes.

"Oh yeah it was fuckin' nuts Candy, I tell ya. I almost died. I broke my legs and my arms and it was crazy." he rushes out.

"Broke your legs and arms? What?" she asks with a tilt of her head.

"I healed him." Venom states and she blinked fast at him.

"Healed him?" she inquires.

"Yes. I can control Eddie's bodily functions if I wish. I can heal him when he is hurt."

"Oh. Wow." she says, impressed. "That's...that's really helpful." she says looking to Eddie.

"Yeah, it's a perk."

"So if you got hurt... like someone hurt you, he could heal it?" she asks Eddie.

"Yes. We almost died. Taking down my team leader to keep Earth safe."

They both see the sadness in her eyes and the mutual feeling of relief to see it still there and also the fact that she was feeling it made them shift anxiously. 

"You almost died?" she whispers, reaching out to touch his knee and she doesn't even think about it. 

"Yeah I got speared through the chest...actually." he laughs nervously.

"You fucking what?" she says with a wrinkle of her nose. "But you can't even tell you..no scars or anything." she says looking to his chest.

"I healed him. I keep him running if I am fed."

"That's another thing..." Eddie begins. "He needs this chemical, phenylethylamine to function. And it's found in things like chocolate and what not but it's best if it's in the form of...well..." he winces. 

"Brains. Human brains." Venom says what's hard to Eddie to discuss.

"That why you...ate those guys back there?"

"Yes. And because they hurt you. We would not allow anyone who hurt you and get away with it." Venom elaborates and the corner of her mouth turns up into a smile.

She shifts her eyes over to Eddie. "It's true." he says with those puppy eyes she's weak to. 

"So you got your job back because the truth about the Life Foundation came out, and I'm guessing those first breaking photos were ones you took, right?"

"Right."

"And you didn't take credit for it?"

"I wanted to be finished with it. I don't want anything to do with that place again." he says with a slow shake of his head.

"But...aren't they gonna want him back?" she points to Venom.

"All of those who knew are dead."

"Oh." she says with wide eyes. "All of them?"

"Yes. We did not kill them though. For the record." he adds.

Candy lets out a little chuckle, an alien using human turns of phrase struck her as funny at the moment. "Well, that's good. I guess. For us." she shrugs and lets out a noisy sigh.

"Us?" Eddie can't help but blurt out.

"Well yeah. I mean...So, me, you, Anne and...?"

"Dan." 

"Dr. Dan know about Venom, and they aren't gonna tell anyone since they haven't yet so that ties up the loose ends."

Venom lets out a low laugh. "I like her. She is so logical." he smiles.

"Thanks." she nods. "So are you."

"Except when he's hungry. He's an asshole when he's hungry." Eddie clarifies.

"So...you've been with Eddie for months then."

"Yes."

"Which means..." she sighs and knits her brow. "You've been with him when we've..." she tilts her head.

"Yes." Venom clarifies.

"Uh huh. That's a little weird. I would've liked a heads up before you unknowingly roped me into a threesome ya know." she says with an only half joking pout.

"Yeah. I...I'm sorry about that too. But...I didn't want to tell you because this is..." he makes an unsure face.

"Fucking insane?" she clarifies with a grin.

"Exactly."

"He did not tell you because he did not want you to leave us. He won't' say it. I will for the sake of keeping him happy. We really like you Candy. I have wanted to interact with you for a long time."

"Well he's lucky I'm an idiot who has a soft spot for other idiots apparently," she says with a smirk to Eddie who accepts the criticism gladly. "I get why you didn't tell me but...you should have." she states obviously.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't exactly know how to bring up this whole situation."

"Yeah." she sighs.

"I told him to tell you sooner." Venom interjects.

"Seems like I owe you a thank you...Venom." she says. "I don't know if I should like, shake your hand or something?" she chuckles. "You saved my life back there...do you even have hands? What's this sharing a body situation like?" she asks in a much more casual way.

"Complicated." Eddie says.

A oozy tendril emerges from the stringy body that flows behind Venom's formed head. "We can shake hands. I would like to touch you." he says a tentacle forming solid and splitting into a hand shape. 

"Don't be weird, man." Eddie says, swatting the reaching limb away.

"No, it's okay. I mean..." she shrugs. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious." she admits.

"She is honest Eddie. I like her." Venom almost coos.

"Thanks." she says, holding out her hand. 

Venom reaches out slowly, closing the space between them. The feel reminded her of a snake, you expect one thing out of it, cold and clammy, but it's warm and soft instead. It's solid but it had give under her fingers as she gripped it, moving her hand up and down and watching as the blackness moved around her hand. It changes from a shake, pushing between her fingers, wrapping it's formless hand around her like it was interlacing its fingers with hers, it felt affectionate and soft, encasing her fingertips and lapping around her wrist. It didn't hurt, it wasn't unpleasant but it was strange. "You are so soft, Candy." Venom says, little tentacles stroking the back of her hand lovingly. 

"So are you." she says with a shifting brow of interest. "You're a lot warmer than I expected."

"You are smoother than I expected." he retorts and she smiles.

"So you just lay in wait in Eddie'ds body while we..." she quirks a brow.

"Yes. I feel what he feels, in every way. Every sensation, every thought, every feeling."

"It's annoying." Eddie says with a frown.

"I don't know..." she shrugs, pulling her hand back and Venom heeds her wishes. "That seems sort've...nice." she shrugs, her voice inflecting upward.

"See. She gets it Eddie. I told you she would."

"Yeah but she doesn't have to live with you all the time. Just wait." he says rolling his eyes as Venom moves to nuzzle his face against Eddie's. Candy lets out the first laugh since the shock of learning about him, and it melts them both to hear it, to know there was hope for normalcy again for them. As strange as normal had become for them.


	12. Hesitancy to residency.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candy feels out of place and uncomfortable around Venom. But with charming persistence, he manages to wear her down into acceptance.

Things had been different between Eddie and Candy since the unveiling of Venom. There was a degree of uncomfortableness from Candy, but Eddie couldn't blame her. It hurt Venom's feelings but he remained hidden around her more than he wanted to so she would be less reserved. After waking up that next morning to his large and terrifying face, mouth open, enormous tongue lolling over her as he watched her sleep, she screamed and fell out of bed. If Eddie had been awake he would've laughed, so it was probably best he was too tired to notice what was going on until she got back in bed, catching her breath as she and Venom stared at each other. She had a look of uncertainty, his usual slanted eyes now more round with surprise as he closed his mouth and hovered. 

"Sorry." he says quietly.

"Wuh-huh?" Eddie grumbles, raising his head from his sleeping position of on his stomach.

"I scared her." Venom says shrinking in size.

"Oh." Eddie rubs his face.

"Could you not like...stare at me so closely when I sleep? I find it unsettling."

"I have not been able to get a close look at you before. I wanted to experience you sleeping because Eddie likes it so much. Should he stop too?" he asks, turning to look at Eddie.

"You watch me sleep?" she turns to Eddie who's rubbing his face and rolling over to his back. Her voice is less tense now. Once again, Venom's honesty checking her hesitation. 

"I..uh.." he shrugs. "I mean...sometimes. Yeah." he nods and lays back and shuts his eyes.

Her lips pout, looking over at her established boyfriend and Venom still hovering on the other side of him. She sighs and looks around the room, wanting to feel at ease again with the underlying sweetness of the confession. But it was like there was another person forced into the relationship now and she didn't know them very well and on top of that they weren't even humn. She realizes she hasn't wrapped her head fully around any of this yet. It had only been about twelve hours since Venom's existence had been revealed, so she tries not to be so hard on herself, or the symbiote. She knew he had Eddie's emotions to run off of, and Eddie liked her so he did as well and he was only acting on a less filtered compulsion than Eddie was. So it was sweet...in a very unconventional way.

She swings her head back over to the two boys, if a symbiote could be anything at all, another question for another time, she thinks. She sees venom's head resting on Eddie's stomach, and Eddie yawn, his laugh lines going deep as smacked his lips and looked over at her with his forearm behind his head. 

"This is going to take some getting used to....okay?" she addresses them both. "I don't want to seem like I don't like you, but I don't really know you, Venom. And you know a lot about me, so I don't want to like...hurt your feelings or anything. It's not that I don't like you, I just don't know you so I'm not as comfortable as you are with me? Okay?" she says with a hesitant face, Eddie watching her swallow audibly. 

He could tell she wasn't having the easiest time with it and he hadn't either at the beginning. "It'll take some getting used to okay, bud? She can't hear you or feel you like I can so it's even weirder for her." he chimes in, looking to Candy to make sure he was understanding what she was trying to say. 

"Yeah." she nods, rubbing the back of her neck. "Just a few hours ago I wasn't sure aliens existed and now my boyfriend has one that's bonded with him. That's...my understanding of the universe and my relationship have been turned upside down very suddenly so give me some to process all this and I promise I won't seem as grumpy. Eventually." she shrugs and gives him a cautiously optimistic smile.

"Yeah just give her space man, I know you're excited. But we have to take others feelings into consideration, remember?" Candy watches him so casually lay his hand on the extension of himself, patting it as if it were a common house cat. She wasn't sure if it was endearing or unsettling to her yet. Maybe a little bit of both. 

As weeks past, and not sleeping with Eddie when she'd see him, it was starting to take its toll on them both. They were trying to hide their resentment they were feeling, but they both knew there weren't any options to remedy it that they were interested in exploring. She adored Eddie, who continued to be a goofy sweetheart and even more so really, trying to make up for the uncomfortable feelings they were both having. Venom was depressed, he wanted Candy to like him and he could tell Eddie was more sad than usual. He noticed they weren't having sex and as much as he tried to make up the difference with Eddie himself, he could still hear Candy's name in the back of his head. They still slept cuddled up together, they got their fill of physical connection that way, but it wasn't the same. 

Acceptance happened slowly, but it did happen. With Venom's relentless thoughtfulness, he became more than a parasite to Candy. With Eddie's constant grumbling about why he couldn't be as nice to him as he was to her, she learned to laugh freely and accept their banter like two friends. She learned his personality, carrying on conversations with him alone while Eddie was doing other things. 

The gesture that made her laugh the most was Venom holding a fistful of uprooted flowers out to her as Eddie came into her home. 

"For you." he said with his rows of sharp teeth that were shown in a smile. 

"I told him you were supposed to buy flowers, ya know. But he liked these and he made me pull up out of the park so..." Eddie shrugs and huffs out a laugh.

"Wanted something pretty for our pretty lady." he grins again, the tentacle pushing the flowers out in a more forward repeated gesture for her to take them. "I have learned girls like flowers." he says proudly.

"Thank you." she holds back her laughter. Eddie smiles, happy to see the smile on her face. "I'll...I've got a planter out back. Let's go put them in that, huh?" she suggests, reaching out and petting the top of Venom's head. 

"They will not die this way," he states matter of factly. "This makes much more sense than butchered flowers. Why do humans strike them down and take away their root systems to gift them for them to die? This is much more efficient. Much more...green." he says with emphasis. He'd heard some activists talking about living green and recycling and made Eddie take a flyer and read it all. He had been annoying Eddie all day with facts of the ozone layer. 

Candy, who does not know of any of this new development nods in agreement. "That's...yeah that's true. They'll keep putting out oxygen and might even reproduce this way." she smiles as you would to an enthusiastic child, and Eddie sees it, but Venom is still too excited to pick up on the social cue. 

What really sold him were the gifts she would bring. Beer for Eddie and chocolate for Venom. She'd order a box of giant chocolate bars online and bring one over every time she went to Eddie's place. It'd put them both in a much better mood every time. What really sold him is when she came over with some phenethylamine supplements for him. Pure chemical in little capsules for him to take to ward off hunger between nights they could go out. Eddie had held her face and kissed her as Venom was distracted by the bottle and opening it. 

"You have no idea what kind of weight you've taken off my shoulders with this, babe. Really. He's starvin' all the time. It's the majority of what he talks about." he speaks to her smooshed face. "You just bought me some peace of mind. Thank you." he whispers, kissing her again.

"You're welcome." she says softly, surprised by the physical show of affection. Not minding it at all since it was from Eddie. She missed kissing those plush lips so very badly. 

WIth their comfort level rising, Eddie and Candy were back to holding hands and cuddling on the couch. They'd watch movies together and Venom would start on one side of Eddie and work his way slowly towards the middle between their shoulders. One night Candy reached up and started stroking Venom's chin, and a low rumbling purr erupted from him that startled Eddie, but upon seeing the source, he too purred a tiny bit, seeing the two of them getting closer, giving him more hope for normalcy. Venom started at his usual ending position with watching movies now, excited to get Candy's long nails to rake against his body. He could see why Eddie enjoyed it so much. On this particular night, he slinked down between the two of them, a small and non-threatening blob of a head resting on Eddie's shoulder. Candy found herself wanting the spot, eventually whispering to him, a tiny scratch to his cheek as she pats her lap. A whirring noise of happiness escaped him, happily slithering down to her lap where he curled up much like a cat as she mindless stroked him and he dozed on and off. It seemed relaxing the symbiote also work on Eddie, as she turned her head from its perch on his shoulder, seeing his head slumped, a small muffled snore from his soft blubbing lips. 

She takes a moment to take in her new reality. The same adorable but sometimes mindless boyfriend and his overly logical and inky slinky symbiote. She reaches up to cup Eddie's cheek farthest from her, being gentle and rubbing her knuckles against the stubble. He grunts and lifts his head, a loud noisy yawn that Venom then mimics, follows.

"C'mon boys." she chuckles. "Let's go to bed." he kisses Eddie's cheek and smiles like a dope, a happy hum as Venom slinks out of her lap. 

The biggest breakthrough, the true coming out through the other side of the awkwardness milestone happened that night. She and Eddie had slept close, but not really melted into each other in what felt like ages. He falls asleep quickly, one arm under her head, the other light on her hip. She wakes and see's the shadow of Venom from the light through the window.

"You watchin' me again big guy?" she asks sleepily.

A tiny sheepish, "Yes." comes from the darkness.

"You wanna lay down with us?" she asks with a sweet tone and Venom perks up. She scoots back into Eddie's chest, feeling the warmth of him again, pulling his arm forward and it instinctually wraps around her, feeling his feet entwine with hers, his hair ruffling against the back of her neck and he nuzzled into her. "C'mon. We can all three cuddle up." she says patting her hip.

Venom hesitates, making sure this was a welcome interaction, but when he doesn't change her mind, he moves slowly, slinking through Eddie and between the two of them, a blob of a head forming, resting between them, the only indication of him being there was a slight pressure and warmth, pouring himself in the space between her lower back and Eddie, before curling up under Eddie's chin and snuggling between Candy's shoulders. 

"Goodnight Candy." he coos in his deep tone. She feels a small tendril pat her shoulder affectionately.

"Night Venom. Sleep tight." she says, snuggling into Eddie, who was unaware of this whole situation, only grunting as she laced their fingers and pulled his hand to her chest to kiss his fingers before she fell asleep again. She'd missed the feeling of being wrapped up in his bulky arms, feeling his sock covered feet rub against hers, as much as she'd said she hated the fact that he wore socks to bed. She sighs heavily and contently and looks forward to getting to love on Eddie in the morning. A soft, squishy and sleepy faced Eddie was always a lovely sight first thing in the morning.

As Eddie had before him, Venom found himself falling for Candy all on his own. She'd embraced the other entity in their relationship for the most part or was trying to. She listened to him, didn't bitch about everything the way Eddie did. She always said what she meant, and as Venom only knew how to function in that capacity, he enjoyed it. She smelled better than Eddie ever had, she was nice to look at, but so was Eddie, to be fair. She was nice and sensible and despite being terrified upon first meeting him, he could see she was really trying to build a relationship with him and that he appreciated more than anything. 

She found herself spending more time with Eddie than before, as she could spend time with Venom if Eddie was busy working on something. He would bring over his work and set up on the kitchen table, headphones in and concentrating as the other two hung out and made dinner. She had Venom listening to music and learning about it, teaching him how to dance, much to Eddie's dismay. He proved to be very helpful in the kitchen, he could go grab things as she asked, and hold multiple things at once. He also had a stirring or whisking arm that would never tire, and she took full advantage. She had to set some ground rules when making dessert though, as he was a little too eager to dip his limbs into them, seeing as they were all chocolate. They were meant to be treats for everyone but he often would take one bite when no one was looking and with a mouth like his, one bite was half of a pie. 

With Eddie preoccupied with work, Venom would gossip with Candy about Eddie. She learned he wasn't eating well, which was no surprise. Wasn't using glasses instead of drinking straight from the carton like she'd scolded him for doing at her place, and had been very sexually frustrated as Venom put it. He said he was helping him the best he could, which made her brows raise and her eyes shift with a flood of questions. 

"What do you mean you're helping him?"

"Eddie has shown us how to masturbate. Which helps him a great deal. I take over sometimes, others I don't get involved." he says with a tilt of his head. "I thought with the prostate stimulation that he would be more at ease and satisfied but it just doesn't seem to be working. I certainly can keep him under control, I can handle his release without him even knowing if I wish, but he seems to prefer the manual stimulation. Although he's found it to be a bit lacking as of late."

"He tells you these things?" she asks with a higher lilt of her voice. 

"Not exactly. I can hear all of his thoughts. Which makes them our thoughts, and I can...read him as you put it, at this point." he nods. 

"What's he thinking right now?" she asks with a casual smile.

"That he's hungry...what is another word for penetrating, it's too suggestive...now he's thinking about sex...and you...and sex with you." he lists one after the other and she starts to laugh.

"Okay, don't give me all his secrets, let him keep some." she grins. "Is the...sex with you two...is that what it is if it's between host and symbiote?" she sidetracks herself.

"I believe it would be called that yes. Masturbation seems too simple of a word for it...don't you think?" She nods in agreement. "Do you masturbate Candy?" he asks all too casually.

"Welp." she begins with an audible swallow and a sigh. "That's a little personal to ask just anyone. Just so you know. But since I'm Eddie's girlfriend I feel that it's not too problematic." she instructs. He nods to show he understands. "I do."

"Have you found it lacking lately?" he asks, leaning in closer and lowering his voice, he was picking up on social cues much better now.

"I..." she stops chopping and thinks a moment. "I guess so yeah." She hadn't really thought about it. It'd been more just for basic functioning purposes. 

"I believe that if you and Eddie would have sex that it would make you both feel better." he says also sadly.

"You're not wrong." she shakes her head. "But I'll be honest with you, I haven't been because of you. And I suppose you shouldn't take that personally, it's just introducing another...person? Another...dynamic into bed and I love sex with Eddie but I'd be knowingly having sex with both of you now and it's a bit weird for me. I don't really know how to navigate it I guess."

"So you still desire sex with Eddie?"

"Oh yeah, I..." she smiles and blushes, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I really do." she chuckles.

"Good. This is progress. I can ease his worries. He worries that you do not desire him any longer." he pauses. "Because of me." he says in a sad tone.

"Do you understand why I haven't been though?" she asks, stopping what she was doing and looking at him. 

"As I understand it, threesomes are sex between three humans, and although I am not human, I could be substituted as such in that scenario. I have learned threesomes are not something a majority of people participate in regularly. And that I understand. I believe your cultural taboo's are hindering the human experience. Things like shame are not needed where you place them. I can't logically see the reasoning for most of them. Beyond religious control tactics to control the population's actions and keep it from ascending into a spiral of sin. As they call it. Which is only a concept forced upon yourselves."

"Damn." she grins. "You've been doing some reading haven't you?" she says proudly.

"Netflix." he flatly responds. 

"Documentaries?" 

"Yes." he nods.

"It's good for you. You sound very informed. It's nice." she says supportively. 

He grins and his eyes narrow with the pulling back of his lips.

"I've never...been in a threesome," she says, continuing on. Making sure she got her point across. Communication was key, after all. "I've never wanted to be." she shrugs. "I like focusing on one other person ya know? And when you have an emotional connection with who you're sleeping with, like I do Eddie, I like focusing on that one person and losing myself. Sex is a way for me to let go and relax. If I have to worry about two people it doesn't feel like relaxing."

"What if you did not have to worry about it?" he asks.

"Well..." she tilts her head in thought. "I never considered that."

"I do not have the same sexual organs as humans. You would not need to worry about servicing me, I can be involved but I am a more of a...helping hand and less of another body."

He watches her brows shift, looking at the ground and chewing her lip. "I had never really thought about it like that."

"You would only need to focus on Eddie, and then I would focus on you both." he explains.

"That..." she nods and hums. "That makes it sound much more appealing." she chuckles. "And I guess you know everything Eddie knows so..." she blushes slightly, "You'd know what I like."

"I do." he grins and she playfully shoves him away as he attempts to flirt and leans near her face. 

"I'll think about it, okay? You've given me a lot to consider. And let Eddie know I still want to sleep with him. I don't want him thinking I don't."

Venom nods and she goes back to chopping vegetables. He moves over to Eddie, tapping his shoulder.

"Yeah?" he asks one eyebrow raised as he moves his burning eyes from their stare on concentration to the laptop.

"I have good news. Candy still desires you sexually." he states plainly he tilts his head in confusion.

Candy hears him and before she realizes what he's doing, it's too late. She turns with an open mouth and see's Eddie's head tilted much like a confused puppy. He looks to her with a low brow and she starts to laugh. A growing laugh that reaches her eyes that he hadn't seen in a while. She presses her fingers between her eyes and sighs, shaking her head. 

"I didn't mean tell him right now, hun." she laughs. 

"He was still thinking about having sex with you so I thought it was relevant." he informs and Eddie's lips purse, a slight blush to his cheeks as he glares at Venom.

He looks back to Candy who is holding in a laugh and have a friendly smile on her face, brows high and playfully scolding. "That so?"

"Why you talkin' about my thoughts man. That's not cool." he mutters, his chin jutting out to scold the symbiote.

"Do you not feel better?" he asks. "She still desires you." he pauses. "Sexually." he states again and he hears another titter from Candy who has her hand over her mouth.

"What the hell have you two been talking about?" he asks, his hard face breaking as he sees Candy giggling. 

"Sex." Venom answers.

"Nothin'." Candy answers at the same time with a shrug and then gives him a 'what are ya gonna do?' sort of shrug.

"See. It's not as fun when he gives away what you're thinkin' about is it?" he says defensively.

"I'd tell you what was wrong if you asked though," she says with a nod. "I'm not embarrassed." she says smoothly. 

"What'd she say?" he asks Venom, attempting to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"We spoke on why we weren't having sex. And I told her how you weren't being fulfilled with masturbation or my intervening with it lately...so I fixed our problem."

Eddie blushes. "He told you...uh..."

"Uh huh." she nods, a smug grin.

"Dude why you gotta be like that?" he hisses at Venom. 

"Don't scold him. You shouldn't be ashamed," she says in a flirty but comforting way. "Who doesn't like some ass play from time to time?" shrugs and giggles and they both stare at her. "What?" she says incredulously. "You're bottoming to an alien and you're topping a human and you're gonna look at ME like that for being the one to say it out loud?" she scoffs.

Venom grins wide and makes a humming sound. "Oh I like you Candy." he says. 

"You...You into that?" Eddie asks with curious higher pitched raspy voice.

"I'm not...not into it." she teases.

"You just never talked about it." he narrows his eyes, and she wonders what sort of thoughts were running through his head.

"You never asked," she says obviously. "Plus you don't exactly seem like the type to do that to me." she grins. "No offense."

"None taken." he says with a waving of his hands. "But if you wanted..." he trails off, looking around the room before meeting her eyes again.

"We hadn't been fucking long enough for us to get into any discussions about pegging or anything." she begins casually.

"Pegging?" Venom asks.

"A woman wears a strap-on- you know what a strap-on is?"

"Yes." he nods.

"A woman wears one of those and fucks a guy in the ass."

"That is what I do to you Eddie!" he chirps happily and Eddie blushes.

"You...is it just me or is this conversation happenin' way too nonchalantly?" he asks with a pushback of his chin.

"We're communicating Eddie." Candy says with a tilt of her head. "This is what healthy relationships are based on." she states obviously.

"Well have you ever...done that?" he asks with an outstretched hand.

"What? Pegged a guy?" she asks with an adorable wrinkle to her nose that seemed out of place for the conversation.

"Yeah." he nods.

"No but I've gotten my fingers up in there before." she chuckles.

"Okay. That's a little different, y'know." he says, not knowing if he was relieved or not at the news. "You never offered to do that either."

"Oh but I've thought about it." she lilts and smiles cheekily.

"He makes very cute noises when you do it. Like a cartoon mouse." Venom chimes in and she laughs out loud.

"That's...ya givin' away a man's secret's." he says defensively. 

"I could see you sounding like that. All raspy and high pitched. Adorable." she coos. "I bet you sing like a bird when you get your prostate played with don't ya?" she winks and laughs.

"More like... he moans like whore." Venom adds with a nod and Candy's face scrunches as she laughs loudly, holding her stomach.

"Oh, sweet baby." she keeps laughing, wiping her eyes and moving over to where Eddie was sitting, as he had slouched and started pouting. "We're pickin' on him too much, Venom. Let's leave the poor little puppy alone. He's gettin' embarrassed." she coos, taking his face into her hands and giving his grumpy and grunting face a kiss.

"No, jerks don't get kisses." he says and hides a smile, putting his hands on her wrists and pulling away.

"You think I'm gonna let you be that cute and pout and NOT kiss that handsome face you wanton lady of the night?" she laughs and leans in, fighting against his weak grip.

"C'mon.." Eddie fake whines, actually loving the attention. 

"I'll hold. You punch." Venom says holding Eddie's face still with a playful light tone.

"Your own symbiote is on my side. It's hopeless, Brock." she giggles, pressing kisses to his cheeks as his hard face beings to give way to the dopey sort of smile she loved to see. "You're gonna get kissed you little tart, c'mere." she says standing on either side of his legs, squishing his cheeks together..

Their teasing and ease of speaking about it were making Eddie start to feel better about a lot of things. About what he liked, what Venom had been doing to him and more importantly about the connection being back between him and Candy. The sexual one. As Venom liked to specify. 

"Tart? What about you, miss anal retentive." he sass's back, hand moving back to around her hips, forcing her into his lap. "Yellin' about ass play for the whole neighborhood to hear." he laughs.

"They've heard worse before, they'll hear worse again." their laughter grows quieter, breathier and softer as she presses against him, forehead to forehead. 

His hands hold her at her lower back, she can feel his thumbs rubbing back and forth through her shirt."Will they?" he asks, she can see his emotion in his eyes, wondering about their possible future sexual escapades.

"Of course." She has his face still, a hand on each cheek, now sliding down to his shoulders. She grazes her nose against his and sighs. "I missed this Eddie," she says softly. "I missed you." she says with a soft kiss to his lips. 

"I've missed you too," he says with pouted lips and a soft, kind voice. "We gonna be okay?" he asks, his brow flinching, looking up at her with big honest eyes, one hand moving to take hers and lace their fingers together. 

'Kiss her hand.' Venom speaks into his mind. 'It is romantic. Tell her how you feel.' he insists.

"I really want us to be okay," he says with a nod, kissing her knuckles. "I'll...I'll try to talk about whatever you wanna talk about to get us... all of us... back to normal." his voice is earnest and Candy smiles softly down at him, her thumb stroking his jaw. 

"Exist in harmony." Venom says, still hovering by Eddie's head. 

She looks to the symbiote, eyes more round and far less intimidating than she used to think they were. "We can't ever be like we were," she says before looking down to Eddie who frowns. "But we can build something better this time around. We can figure out how to do this. How to... be together." she says with a nod that takes away Eddie's worried expression.

"Sexually?" Venom interjects and they both close their eyes, shake their heads and laugh. 

"And you were worried about me ruining the mood?" Eddie rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, Venom." she chuckles. "Sexually." she says before she meets Eddie's still grinning mouth to hers for their first real kiss since he'd been forced to let her in on his secret. And just as importantly, a fact that she often forgot the confusion, the first kiss since they'd both saved her life.


	13. A symbiote and a gorgeous dumb ass's guide to seducing a woman.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW  
> Venom romances Candy in an attempt to seduce her to get her to sleep with him and Eddie. It works.  
> (Venom giving oral sex. Next chapter contains threesome sex.)

Candy and Venom had been taking into consideration their discussions about sex, trying to get to a place of comfort and mutual validation with each other. It gave Eddie some time to breathe as far as Venom talking constantly in his head. He'd been reading up on human relationships, what was healthy and not, as Candy liked to always say communication was the key to a healthy one. Venom knew healthy was a good thing and he wanted to have their relationship running as well as he did Eddie's body. 

They had many texts while they were apart about sex. This was crucial to their, very specific situation. They talked about what they liked, what they didn't, what they had or hadn't tried before and Eddie hadn't ever been with someone who actively wanted to know about his sexual history. Candy told him she wanted to know so she could help him overcome this shyness he seemed to have about what he liked. Her openness led to deep dive discussions on taboo's, society and culture expectations and Venom was enthralled. 

Once Venom felt like he had enough data to approach the situation delicately, which is what he had been told would be best, he moved onto the part he had already learned the most about. Romance. Venom liked romantic comedies. He didn't understand the appeal of the tragic ones, not understanding why people would want to feel sad while intaking entertainment, but he watched everything he could find that he could get to. 

"Eddie," he says one evening, being full of human remains and just having watched an 80's rom-com. "I have realized something."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie says, eating out of the Tupperware container he'd taken of leftovers from the last time he and Candy cooked together. Or rather, the last time she tried to teach him how to cook and she and Venom had made him look like he couldn't even boil water.

"You and Candy have established your fondness, your coupling in an official capacity." he begins.

"Thought you were all about romance right now? That's the least sexy thing I've ever heard." he chuckles.

"Shut up Eddie, listen to me." he turns his hovering head to his hosts face. "I have not done that. Even though you and I...we are one, she does not see it that way. I think that I, as a singular being, need to tell her these things myself." he stares at Eddie with rounded eyes.

"Couldn't hurt." he says supportively. 

"I want us to be romantic Eddie. We could woo her now. We understand making love, the emotions, the tenderness, the connection." he continues. "We could be together with her and consummate this relationship."

"Woah, bud, I know we like her but I don't think proposing is the right way to go right now." he says with a hesitant frown.

"Marriage? I did not say marriage." Venom tilts his head.

"Isn't that what consumate means?" he wonders with narrowed eyes, as if he were asking himself, and on a technical level, he was. 

"Eddie. You are handsome always and dumb somtimes." he says, nuzzling against his cheek.

"Hey..." Eddie pouts.

"It is is a term not exclusively used to mean marriage." he explains.

"Alright. So you wanna ask Candy to be your girlfriend too?"

"I think it would be beneficial. Do you?"

"Worth a shot." he shrugs.

"I will need to teach you about romance Eddie." Venom says, perking up.

"I think I know what romance is, bud." he rolls his eyes.

"I am inside your brain Eddie. You do not." he informs flatly.

"Says the alien...the not human alien...to a human male who has had relationships before." he purses his lips at his friend.

"All have failed. With the exception of Candy. And I am trying to stop that from happening."

"Ouch." he says, his chin pushing into his neck.

"It's true."

"Yeah but...shit, you don't gotta come for my neck like that." he shakes his head and sighs. "So if I don't know about romance...what exactly are you plannin' on doin' then huh? Teddy bears? Flowers? Candy's a smart woman, you're gonna have to go beyond a box of chocolate."

"There will be all those things," he says, looking around the room. "But lucky for you..." he says, swooping into Eddie's face. "I pay attention...I know what she likes."

"Okay so what's the plan?" he says putting the empty container on the coffee table.

"First, we need to look at our bank account..."

"Oh jesus..." Eddie grumbles and rubs his temples.  
\----------------------  
Candy was out a business dinner and fighting the urge to look at her phone. Not that it would help the time go by faster, but she knew Eddie was at home waiting for her and she hadn't seen him in two weeks and she was going through withdrawals. She remained vigilant, being feminine and approachable for the network higher-ups as she spoke in sound bites and vague but ambitious goals for what she wanted for the show. 

She had grown up having to learn how to eat a lot of shit from men with power. Being from a small town with a mostly religious population she was used to being told to act like a lady and behave herself. She hated doing both of those things when forced, but she was thankful for the practice as she performed hyper-feminine for these monkey's in suits, telling them what they wanted to hear. With what she felt where borderline inappropriate cheek kisses, lingering too long with audible sniffs. Hands on her ribs and lower back that there certainly inappropriate enough to warrant her dropping her smile and moving away quickly. She got to watch the men leave in their chauffeured, all black gas guzzler and decline an offer to go back for drinks to their suite.

As they faded out of the distance, she sent Steph a picture of her rolling her eyes, saying she was calling an uber and getting the fuck home. She takes her foldable flats out of her purse, switching from the high strappy heels she'd been wearing and sits on a bench to change them. She puts her blazer over her tight dress before moving to text Eddie. She hears a rumble of a motorcycle and doesn't think anything of it. She's texting him that it went well and she'd be home soon.

"Hey, there gorgeous. Need a ride?" Eddie flashes her a charming smile, helmet sitting in his lap as her eyes rise to instinctively to tell whoever it was to fuck off but her face softens as soon as she sees him.

She gives him an entirely charmed closed mouth smile, rising quickly, her heels in her hands, as she rushes towards him, wrapping her arms around him and his worn leather jacket.

"Hey baby," he says in a deep voice that makes her sigh. His phone dings. "Hold on just a sec. This is probably my girlfriend, gotta get this," he says, gently pushing her away as she rolls her eyes and laughs at him. "Ah. Yep. Looks like I can't give you a ride, toots, my old lady needs me back home." he jokes and gives her a dopey smile.

"You idiot," she says with a soft giggle, leaning in to kiss him. "I missed you," she whispers against his lips. Her phone dings. She pulls away and pulls it from her purse. "Hold on. This is probably my dumbass boyfriend." she smiles and kisses his cheek, looking to the phone to reveal a response of "k". "Oh you know I hate it when you do that." she shakes her head and narrows her eyes playfully.

"I do. But I plan on makin' up for it tonight." he shifts his brow suggestively.

"Oh you do?" she says with an impressed tone. "What's the plan Mr. Brock?" she asks with a coy smile, taking out the helmet that was designated as hers and replacing the empty space with her heels. 

"We both have a nice night planned for you." he says in a much more sincere tone.

"What have my boys been doing with that key to my place? Not messin' it up I hope." she grins and takes the flannel from the other saddle bag, Eddie watching her ass as she bends over the bike to reach it. 

"Just a little." he jokes. "Nothing a few thousand in property damages won't cover." he shrugs.

She ties the flannel around her waist. "If I'd known you were coming I would've brought leggings or something." 

"We wanted to surprise you." 

"Well you did, good job." she gives him another kiss to the cheek, getting to smell that cologne and clean laundry combination that her brain had trained her body to react to. "Good thing I wore panties, huh?" she snickers. "Gonna try to not flash everyone. Last thing I need is a Britney and Paris a 'la 2006 flash shot getting out on the internet." she laughs, snuggling up to Eddie. 

"Well they're doin' just fine now," he says supportively. "Imagine the boost in ratings!" he says with a laugh.

"Come for the pussy, stay for the news. That old saying." she snorts. "Take me home, babe, I wanna snug up with you," she says putting her hands under his jacket, feeling his warm stomach under her hands. She feels Venom move over her hands while they're concealed. "You too Venom. Get us home." she sighs happily. 

\----------  
Eddie rolls his bike into the small space available in the garage Candy shares with the family that lives in the other half of the house she lives in. "Don't go in yet!" he calls out, shuffling out the garage, closing the door as she jingles her keys in her hand.

"You were kidding about the property damage weren't you?" she asks flatly.

"Yeah! Yeah." he nods and takes her hand, taking the keys from the other "We just wanted to surprise you." he says with that dopey smile that makes her want to kiss his big soft lips. 

"Surprise me?" she questions in an unsure tone.

"Yeah, close your eyes...lemme get ya inside." he mumbles, pulling her forward and then releasing her hands. "Just a minute! Promise!" she hears his boots hitting the floor and heading into the kitchen. "Just stay right there!" she hears his voice moving, and clasps her hands together.

She takes a deep breath, wondering what on earth these two were up to.

"Kay...kay..." he mutters, moving back towards her. "Follow me. NO peaking!" Eddie says. She feels Venom cover her eyes and she places her hands over him.

"You ask me not to peak I'm not gonna." she says defensively.

"No chances." Venom's voice hits her ears. She's pulled in the direction of the living room, and Eddie places his hands on her shoulders.

"Alright." he says looking over to the symbiote. "Count of three?" he says optimistically.

"One...two...three." Venom counts slowly, nervously, as he pulls his hand like shaped goo from her eyes. 

She blinks them open to find a dim room. As she adjusts, the candlelight from white pillar candles dots the room. There's every sort of romantic cliche she's ever thought of. A giant teddy bear in her reading chair, chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne on the coffee table next to a large bouquet of roses. Eddie taps his phone screen and music starts playing throughout the house.

"Wh-" she begins, a huff of air pushed out in confusion but gratefulness. "What's all this for?" she says with a much sweeter turn to her words. 

"We wanted to do something nice for ya." Eddie says subtle shrug, motioning to Venom who was moving from behind her to in front of her.

"We wanted to woo you. You deserve it." he begins, his face showing much less angular, more human shaped with rounded eyes to make himself less look intimidating. 

"Boys..." she lilts and pouts. "You didn't have to do this." she insists and lets out a soft laugh. 

"You are worth the trouble." Venom states as he watches her wide eyes taking in the room.

"Besides, Venom has this thing... where he can store things inside himself so... he stole a bunch of this." Eddie rubs the back of his neck and laughs.

Candy looks to him and he nods and she lets out a warm laugh that eases his nerves. "I like your style." she nods in appreciation. 

"Thank you. You like it?"

"I love it, it's entirely too sweet and adorable, seriously." she coos, moving to put her hands on either side of his face. "Thank you Venom, this was all very thoughtful of you." she strokes the side of his head lovingly and his eyes shut for a moment. He seems so harmless like this. Such a lovely body of goo and space matter, with a metaphoric heart of gold. She wonderings if perhaps it was Eddie's softness that leads him to want to be so affectionate to her. She figures she should repay him. "Can I give you a kiss to thank you?" she says softly and his eyes go round like a cartoon and she chuckles at him.

"Yes. Yes." he nods. She plants her lips to his forehead and pats his cheek. The warm but quivering mass moving underneath her mouth. 

"Thank you, you big sweetie." she coos. 

"There is more." he says quietly. Eddie watches the interaction, feeling elated himself, as Venom had his heart fluttering at Candy's approval. He glides a tendril out of sight and retrieves a box from within himself.

"What's that?" Eddie and Candy both ask. Eddie had told him no about buying a ring, he wanted to date her not scare her off by going too hard too fast. It wasn't like it hadn't crossed Eddie's mind, but he was trying to refrain himself from moving too fast. Which was something he had the tendency to do. 

"A gift." Venom responds with a teasing tone, nudging it towards her.

"Why are you doing all this for me?" she asks with a pout. 

"Because we want to romance you." he rasps out. "Eddie has had his chance to become your boyfriend," he pauses and takes the top off the small box and holds out a gold heart locket to her. "I would like to be as well. I thought if I asked you formally and showed you how I...we care for you with grand gestures you would be inclined to say yes to me. As you did Eddie. We are one...but you see me as another person and I want to show you that I care for you just as much as Eddie does." he puts the locket around her neck as he speaks, fluffing her hair back in place, gentle strokes to her cheek and neck with warm and soft limbs before he draws them away.

"Venom, sweetheart." she replies happily and reaches down to touch the gift. "You...ugh..." she lets out an exaggerated breath and moves to wrap her arms around him, he forms a more human shape, shoulders, and arms to embrace her back. "You're going for boyfriend of the year, huh?" she sighs happily. "He's really showin' you up here Eddie." she teases and kisses the side of the symbiotes head. 

"I mean I helped..." he shrugs and smiles. "What's in the other rooms was my idea though." a more mischevious look comes over his face.

"What's in there?" she asks, looking to Venom. 

"Quit it Eddie. Me first. This is equally as important to the process." Venom gruffs at him. 

"Process?" she asks an uncertain expression.

"Candy." he returns his voice to something softer. "Look." he says, flicking open the locket. Inside was a tiny photo of himself in one side and Eddie in the other.

"Oh my god." she laughs. "This is the cutest thing I've ever seen." she covers her mouth to hold in a laugh because the picture of venom, although tiny is well shot. The picture of Eddie looks like it was taken while Venom was bothering him, his face annoyed and smashed. "You seen this?" she asks Eddie with a grin.

"No. I had no idea about the necklace," he admits, leaning in to see. "What the hell, dude?" he says shoving Venom.

"I got it. I made the decisions." he grins and closes it gently. "She can remember me fondly."

"And I look like a pile of angry mashed potatoes?" he says with raised brows.

"If you'd gotten her something you could've picked out the picture." he sass's back and they both look at Candy as she sighs loudly, a warm smile appearing on her face.

"You two are ridiculous. I love it." she says with a shake of her head. 

"He is ruining the mood." Venom says reaching out a hand to put to Candy's cheek, causing her to blink rapidly at the affectionate touch that felt almost human. "I wanted to show you we are capable of romance and worthy of being with. I thought if I did this, you might be inclined to be with us again." he mumbles the last part.

"Sexually?" she says with a deep turn of her voice and a playfully raised eyebrow before Eddie let's out a small snort in amusement.

"To be honest...yes." he admits.

"You askin' me to be your girlfriend too?" she clarifies with a polite smile.

"Yes." he nods. 

"Okay..." she says thoughtfully. "This is very romantic, you did a really good job." she begins. "I've already considered myself your girlfriend. You and Eddie are a package deal right?" she shrugs.

"Told you." Eddie says with a much more supportive fist to the symbiotes shoulder.

"But you asking means a lot. And yes. I consider you to be my partner too." she says with a hard nod. "That's why I bring you chocolate and pills when I bring Eddie beer and food," she explains. "I don't want one of you being left out." she looks to both of them. "It's been super weird and hard at times to come to terms with this. But we've come a long way." she nods enthusiastically. "I care about both of you, you know." she pats the hand that lingers on her shoulder. 

Venom moves in slowly, and she does not flinch, but watches him with curiosity, not seeing fear in her eyes makes his body soften and sends a shudder through Eddie. He nuzzles against her face and neck, up under her hair and lets out a purring sound. "Thank you, Candy. I am glad you are ours. Eddie was very lucky to find you." his voice is soft and deep, not having the monstrous gravel as it used to have so heavily. 

"And you were lucky to find each other." she says with a smile. "I don't have to worry about him as much with you around. I know you've got his back." the affectionate rub of her thumb against his hand makes him purr again." So let me get both by big soft boys in here, huh?" she says with a big smile, holding out her arms. "I've got two arms, c'mon. Plenty of room for both of ya." she chirps. 

Venom wraps around her to her back, nuzzling over one shoulder while she wraps her arms around Eddie's neck. Venom encases them both in a warm embrace, the long tendrils stretching, wrapping and spreading around them and squeezing. "Aw, this is nice." Venom says quietly. 

"Who picked the music?" she asks with a subdued laugh. 

"We both kinda did." Eddie murmurs as they pull away from the embrace. "He found some 90's r & b playlists that were just a bit too...sexually forward in my opinion." he says defensively.

"Music made for having sex to makes sense to listen to when you have intentions of having sex." Venom states obviously. "You humans like to seduce each other with it." 

"So you are trying to seduce me?" Candy smirks and crosses her arms.

Venoms head moves back to her quickly after defending himself to Eddie. "Yes. The gifts act as a mood setter to show you we care for you beyond the physical. But the physical...we want that too yes." he nods.

"So...what's in the other room, huh? You plan on seducing me...next step is the bedroom right?" she says with a confident shake of her head. 

"Bedroom is the third step. Let me begin the second one." Venom states as he stretches in through the bedroom door.

Candy turns to Eddie, her face at ease, eyeing him up and down. "You have anything else in there you know I like?" she asks with a tilted head and more suggestive smile as he gestures to the phone in his hands.

"Sam Cooke." he says with a charming smile.

"Mmmm." she nods approvingly.

"Marvin Gaye." he adds with a smirk.

"Oh you're lookin' for trouble, huh?" she playfully scolds and laughs, leaning in closer to him.

"Lots of 70's rock ballads. I know you like those slow jams." his voice dips lower and gives her the slightest bit of tease.

"I do love some good dad rock." she chuckles. "I'm from the country, I can't help it." she shrugs shamelessly. 

"Also!" he says, with a raised finger, getting distracted by one of the gifts that were his idea. He moves towards the bedroom. "This is a new system," he says proudly. "I'll put it on your phone later." he beckons her closer with his hand. "We got these speakers and they play the same song through the whole house." she can hear music coming from her bathroom as well as the brightly colored pod on her dresser.

"It's called synced Eddie." Venom says, poking his head out from the bathroom.

"Yeah, they're synced up." he mumbles, scrolling through the playlist they'd made. 

She hears the bath running and looks with a lowered brow towards the sound. "What's step two of the seduction of Candace Miller?" she smirks. 

"We knew you had that meeting tonight. And you'd not been looking forward to it so I thought tonight might be a good chance for us to help you relax...put you in a better headspace y'know?" Eddie says with a subtle shrug, eyes soft and voice the same.

"We wanted to help facilitate us all being together. We know what relaxes you the most." Venom's deep voice comes as he slithers from the bathroom, a limb extended to pass through Candy's hair. "Can we help you relax Candy?" Venom asks, his head hovering near her face. She feels a slight thrill run through her at the suggestion.

"I went and got your favorite things from that fancy soap store too." Eddie begins, walking over to the bathroom door and opening it. They'd set up a romantic scene in there as well, candles carrying from the bedroom to the bathroom. 

"Lush?" she asks, seeing the bubbles in the tub. 

"Yeah. I know you like those fizzy things so we got some 'a them and bubble bath." he offers shyly, holding his hand to her. Venom wraps around her shoulders, a gentle push towards Eddie.

"They're called bubble bars." Venom corrects.

"Yeah." Eddie frowns at him for only a second before turning his eyes back to her. "We wanted to suggest that you have a good soak and tell us how your meeting went. Get it out of your system? So we could... y'know... maybe spend the night together?" he offers with a face that shows his hopefulness. 

She takes a slow breath, looking around the pale colored room with the warm rosy tones of candles flickering. With the smell of jasmine in the air, she runs her fingers over the lip of the tub, her face indifferent and trying to let go of the reservations she'd been holding onto. She told herself she'd try anything once. She hadn't expected that to be this exactly,but here she was.

"This is about you." Venom says, appearing over her shoulder. "Whatever you want of us. We want to do that." he clarifies, an inky black hand shaped limbs rubbing up and down her arms to ease her. 

"Okay." she nods and exhales in a breathy voice. "I'll get in the tub and tell you when to come in, that work?" she turns to look at the over her shoulder. "Let me get my head in the right place?" 

"Yes." Venom says with enthusiasm, a slight squeeze to her arms before he pulled away.

"We'll just be in here." Eddie says as his head pulls out of sight as he pulls the door to. 

She takes in the ambiance, and they really had done a wonderful job. She hears the music switch, some mood setting rock and she grins. They were a bit eager, but then again, if her racing heart was any indication, so was she. She settles into the tub, her hair piled and pinned on top of her head messily. With painted toes wiggling on the rim, hands slow and pushing about mountains of bubbles she sighs and rests her head back. "C'mon in." she calls out.

They both appear, Eddie now in just a thin t-shirt as he'd stripped away some layers. Venom a soft blob on his shoulder.

"Hello boys." she greets with them her chin in the water, hiding an evocative smile. 

Eddie gives her a soft look, one side of his lips tugging back farther than the other with those soft hooded eyes at ease at the sight of her wide-eyed in the bathtub. "I figure, Venom can get your feet, I saw those heels you were wearin' before I pulled up at the restaurant, I know you won't turn down a foot rub." he grins, moving to the end of the tub behind her. 

"You'd be right." she smiles, watching Venom settle at the other end, opposite Eddie. 

"I read about how to do this." he says, tube-like extremities now picking up and moving her feet, starting to touch and manipulate them, the pressure growing firmer each time, a pleasant weight as the soft nubs at the end of his arms rub circles into the balls of her feet. 

"Yes you have." she exhales contently, moving her arms to the rim of the tub. "What'd you doin' back there babe?" she asks Eddie, turning her head to the side to get a glimpse of him.

"Well I'm gonna take the top half here." he says in an amused way as his hands move to her shoulders.

She sits silently, having never had the attention of two people at once before, it makes her feel powerful. A faint flush across her face from the heat of the water and her thoughts becoming indecent. Two guys were supposed to be like a 'thing' right? She thought. As her neck and feet got rubbed simultaneously she was starting to see why. 

"So how did the meeting go?" Eddie suggests, his wide, square-tipped fingers rubbing at the caps of her shoulders.

"It was fine." she sighs out, shutting her eyes and letting her head all forward. "The rating are good. Steady. They like my direction, want to focus on the younger demographic, political trends, protests...that sorta thing." her words aren't articulate as usual. 

"How do you feel about that?" Eddie asks, hunching over on the footstool, his mouth now close enough to her ears she could feel his breath over her. 

"You my therapist or you tryin' to fuck me?" she gets out before she laughs, the bubbles jiggling with her body in the water. 

He blows out a raspberry and kisses her head. "Sorry for showin' interest in ya feelin's. We won't' do all this extra stuff and lovin' on you first next time." he chuckles. 

"You know I'm just bein' stupid." she smiles and hums.

"Yeah I know." he mumbles into her hair. 

"I gave them vague answers. I'm gonna keep trying for expose''s. You know that stuff really butters my biscuit." her shoulders heave slightly with a silent laugh.

"Does this?" Venom asks, fingers still working away, turning her ankles and swiping up her calves. It reminded her of getting a massage with a pedicure, her legs getting added in on the treatment.

"Yes, god yes, boys, this is..." she nods and lets out a groan. "You're gonna spoil me with this." opens her eyes slowly and gives him a smile. 

"Do you recall me telling you about how this sexual encounter would work?" Venom asks, both still working away at her damp skin, Eddie rubbing the back of her neck with his thumbs, making her grunt.

"Remind me." she sighs out, lolling her head to the side. 

"He said you wouldn't have to worry about him. Remember babe?" Eddie whispers and the sound of his voice low and suggesting anything sexual started a familiar ache between her thighs. "Me 'n you can just... be together like we used to." he rests his cheek against the side of her head, his hands moving slowly from her neck to her collar bones. "You do remember that don't ya, Candy?" his voice stays breathy and even, making her take a deep inhale.

She hums contently. "Yes I do." she smiles, shutting her eyes again, taking in the softness of his voice she loved, the way it never sounded harsh when it spoke to her like this. 

He finds himself getting distracted, the low light bouncing off her chest, her nipples just visible, pinked and hard at the surface of the water. He runs his hand down her breasts, her thighs shifting as he did so, an audible exhale as he cupped them in his hands. "We can... touch and... kiss..." he adds placing one to her exposed neck. "Just like we used to." he clarifies, the water lapping against her as his thumbs move to brush across her nipples, drawing a soft moan from her. 

"I will be there to bring us closer together." Venom chimes in, making her eyes flutter open to see him with a slightly parted mouth, a monstrous tongue peeking from behind teeth that were starting to gather drool in their anticipation, taking in the feelings Eddie was having as he touched her, watching every sign of arousal come across her face that he'd read about. "I want to add to the pleasure." he elaborates. "With me..." his voice becomes more rumbly, a hiss at the end of his words as he mimicked the heavier breaths of Eddie in her ear, his nose tracing the outline of her ear as Venom spoke to her. They communicated as one, executing their plan as discussed, able to tell each other what they wanted to do next to her. "We can all three experience things we otherwise couldn't." His eyes close just slightly, that long tongue unfurling out of his mouth, a slap lap against her feet that she didn't expect.

She'd had her toes sucked on before, but only in the middle of fucking and she'd never paid much attention to it. There was a warmth that was pleasurable about it. And with his agile and precise tongue, the way it lapped at her lovingly, as if he was enjoying it himself, she was finding herself not minding it in the least. His tongue started to venture away from her feet and with Eddie as his accomplice, her body didn't leave her with much of an option but to give over to it. Her mind fired on all cylinders with this new experience, it didn't read into her eyes as Eddie's plush lips moved across her neck and shoulder, thumb and index fingers rubbing her nipples between them she let out her first truly audible moan. 

"He and I.... we both know how to work as a team now, babe." Eddie explains between kisses. "I know what turns you on... he knows what turns you on too." his voice is quiet, the pops of his lips catching against her skin as he spoke. "We'll be gentle. We want you to enjoy this, remember?"

"We want you to want us as much as we want you." Venom adds, face rubbing affectionately against her ankles. "I would not hurt you, Candy." he purrs out with a slow blink of his opal eyes.

"I wanna show you what it's like," Eddie whispers directly in her ear. "We wanna make you feel so good." he rasps out, causing her to shudder. "It's been so long, Candy." he groans. "You miss me as much as I miss you?" he kisses the shell of her ear before moving back to her neck.

She whines and her lashes flutter. She'd never felt so thoroughly seduced before. Every mans' talk had never led to anything that would make her not call them a liar afterward. But they really could give her something no one else could. And she wanted it. She reaches one hand out of the water, clumps of bubbles on her wet skin as she gently caresses the side of Eddie's head. "I've missed you so bad, babe." she whispers, causing him to moan against her skin, hands tightening on her chest. 

"Candy?" Venom hisses. The black web-like body of him moving in waves from her feet where it had been settled, slow and steady as it traveled up her calves, disappearing into the water. "May we taste you?" 

She feels his body moving across her thighs, making her muscles twitch with anticipation. She nods before her mouth opens, half-lidded eyes connect to the symbiotes as it's chin rests in the water. "Yeah." she manages to whisper out as her fingers card through Eddie's hair, his thick lips still against her skin.

Venom disappears beneath the bubbles and she is left with only his touch to guide her as to what is happening under the surface. He parts her legs with gentle pressure. "Open up for him, babe." Eddie asks for him, hands wandering to her stomach, fingertips gripping into the soft pliant flesh of her body as he and Venom's hunger feeds off each other. She puts her ankles on the rim of the tub, feeling the tickle from Venom's body moving over the back of her thighs. 

He begins with slowly oozing forward up her inner thighs, touching into places she wasn't used to being touched, seeping into every crevice, the crease of her thighs, against her lips, then between them as she feels something pressing against her thick lips. With a brief touch, her breath catches as he grazes over her clit. With Eddie taking in her reactions above the water, Venom knows what to repeat under it. Another flick, before she feels pressure push against her. It wasn't like Eddie going down on her, there weren't the luscious lips to create delicious suction, a busied little pink tongue wearing itself out against her. This was like a toy, she equated it to. And if he was to be an addition to the sex between her and Eddie, then the association seemed entirely reasonable. 

He works against her, a hard but giving body against hers, flicks against her clit, circles and brushes and tugs that make her thighs tense and her back arch. She feels a more familiar texture, his tongue start moving against her, lower, taking in the wetness her body was giving him. 

"You taste so good, Candy." Eddie groans against her throat. She moans and lets her eyes roll back at the words. His fingers hold tight and fast to her nipples, a firmer grasp against them as Venom teases around her entrance. "You ready for him?" he asks, her hand gripping into his hair. 

"Yeah." she whimpers out, breathing fast and her other hand gripping the edge of the tub. He was gentle, as promised. The slender tip of his tongue sliding into her, giving way to a thicker and thicker stretch as he inched inside her. With a stuttered gasp, she grips Eddie's hair, fingers slipping on the edge of the tub from the water. Eddie watches as her head falls back, a moan leaving her mouth as his hand strokes upwards on her chest, slick against her neck as he kissed her cheek. She can feel the pressure of him inside her. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before, such a foreign sensation of having a muscle capable of so much delicate movement inside her. She could feel him fill her up, the pressure of his face against her inner thighs as he explored her, bubbles escaping to the top of the water. 

Eddie watches her face, looking her over, letting Venom see what he was doing to her. He hisses and hummed and groaned into Eddie's mind. A new experience for all three of them. He tells Eddie how wet she is, how ready she is for them both. How he can feel the pulse of her against him as he envelopes her clit, massaging away at the area around it, direct attention given to it in gentle laps just as he'd seen in Eddie's head before. He tests her willingness to try something she hadn't with Eddie before, a brief stroke over her lower puckered hole with his reaching tentacle-like growths. She tenses and hums, a brief stop to the moans that he could hear from beneath the water. He adds gentle pressure slowly, keeping his promise to not hurt her. He feels her swell beneath him, the blood gathering between her thighs, beneath the skin to make every sensitive and tight. Her clit hard and her insides swollen with arousal as he begins to hone in on the spot that wasn't elusive to him and his shapeshifting form. 

Above the water Candy grows desperate, Eddie's hard, pressing against his jeans, watching her pant and swear, her sounds of need growing louder and more familiar, recognizing the patterns with Venom's help. "Eddie," she whines, her lips trembling and turning her head to his. He asks her without words, a simple glance to her lips with those blue eyes gone dark and dilated under their heavy hoods what she needs. "Kiss me," she whispers, pulling him closer to her. "I'm close." she confesses in a heavy exhale against his lips before they meet for a harsh and hungry kiss. He lets his own noises battle against hers, moans as they hold each others heads, neck muscles tense and stretching as they work quickly against each other. 

Venom knows from the twitch in her muscles before Eddie's brain relays the information back to him that he's about to make her come. He amps up his movements, more pressure, faster speed as he rumbles against her, eager to please. Her toes squeak against the tub as they curl, her legs starting to shake. "Oh fuck," she whispers, barely audible. "Eddie," she whines and he moans at the sound. "I'm gonna come." she nods against him, voice weak and small, not the usual roar he was accustomed to. But he understood the intensity that Venom brought with him, he would've been surprised if he hadn't rendered her almost speechless. 

Eddie feels her body start to tremble, holding her face to kiss her through it as he knows she prefers his face close to her when she comes. She breaks away to take a sharp inhale, moving to kiss the corner of her mouth as her lips part and her mouth drops open. A broken whimper grows into squeaks, her body convulsing in the tub, Venom drawing an intense orgasm from her greedily. Eddie's eyes roll back to match hers, hearing her, feeling her, the taste of her in his mouth again makes him painfully aware of how hard he is against the rough fabric of his jeans. He sees her face go from tight and looking pained to wide, gasping and full of surprise, knowing the peak had passed. As she was about to ask him to stop, growing far too sensitive to keep going at such an intense pace, Venom ghosts away from her. The small rapid movements stop, a slow slither away and off of her remains gentle afterward, a slow retreat of his tongue from her body, leaving her legs to sink back into the tub, thigh clenched together and jerking with aftershocks. 

He rises out of the water, reminding her of old Godzilla movies, water falling off of a fearsome face. His eyes were slanted and looked aggressive, his tongue still slithering back into his mouth as Eddie panted next to her, lips pressed to her head as he watches Venom appear through piles of bubbles that still remain through their weak thrashing. Venom sees her damp and sparkling, pink, kiss-swollen lips that rest open and wanting, her chest heaving, the light dancing across it, making her looks delicious. 

Without grace, the ability to conjure up any other response, or just the lack of there being an appropriate response to such a thing, she groans out, "Holy shit." as the muscles in her face begin to work again, moving from slack to engaged. 

"Really is something else, isn't it?" Eddie says with a huff of breath that makes the corner of her mouth tug back into a smile. 

"Yeah...is it." she nods, words still breathy as she caught her breathing back to normal. 

"Candy." Venom rumbles, parting the sea of bubbles to move near her face, body moving behind him in the water like some sort of shredded sea monster. "Would you like to do that again?" he inquires, smoothly moving from the water, disappearing into Eddie's back, only his head remaining as she looked up to them both. 

"But with me this time?" she can see the need in Eddie's face as he asks politely. 

"With us." Venom clarifies, a smiles that shows his teeth growing. She wonders how he hadn't bitten her in the process of going down on her. 

She blinks up at them, glistening with drops of sweat and a veil of steam settled onto her skin. She nods and swallows noisily. "Yeah." a breathy response with a slow nod. "In the bedroom?" she asks, an enthusiastic smile growing across her face, glowing post orgasm. 

Venom moves, thick tendrils into the tub, moving under her and slowly lifting her as she squeaks and reaches around Eddie's neck as he rises. "We got you babe, don't worry." he chuckles lightly against her neck. 

"After that..." she gulps and nods, arms tight around him. "I'd say you certainly do." she says with a soft smile, meeting his eyes so they can both be sure to know the sentiment behind the words.


	14. It's not TWOgether when it's three.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 to Venom and Eddie's seduction of Candy. The (long-awaited according to the comments) threesome.

Venom sits Candy gingerly on the bath mat next to the tub. Her grip on Eddie loosens as she finds her balance. 

"For you." Venom says without his usual turned up bass rumble, a more gentle voice with a purr as he puts a towel around her shoulders. 

"Thanks." she murmurs, drying herself off then wiping at Eddie's damp shirt from where she'd been clinging to him.

"I'll be takin' it off in just a minute, don't gotta fuss over me." he shakes his head and gives her a soft smile. 

She gives him a more flirtatious smile in return, looking down to the floor. "Good point," she says softly, licking her lips. "C'mon then." she gives a nod of her head and a tug of his shirt before turning and moving towards the bedroom.

He watches her naked, skin shining in the low light, watching her ass wobble as she moves through the doorway, taking down her hair. "Can you uh... lay back for a little bit?" he whispers to Venom. "I wanna have some time alone with her."

"I can. When you have connected with her I will join you." he hisses to keep his voice quiet before withdrawing himself inside his host. 

"You comin' babe?" she asks, body half turned towards him with a sultry expression on her face. 

"Almost." he grins and lets out a tiny snort of a laugh which causes her turn fully, a soft laugh with a shake of her head, reaching out to him as he slowly walks closer, his eyes on her body. 

"You goof." she giggles, pulling him in by his shirt before her hands run up his shoulders and lace around his neck. She pauses for a moment, fingers tickling the hair her fingers found at the back of his neck. "Just us for now?' she asks softly. 

"Yeah. I wanted my girl all to myself for a little bit." he says with a pulling back of his lips so sincere it makes her sigh. 

"Well I'm certainly not anyone else's." she whispers melodiously before leaning up to kiss him. 

She's met with enthusiasm, a muffled moan from him, a sound of contentment as he pushes back against her. As they reconnect, his hands move across her naked skin, his back slumping at the feel of her so soft and smooth against him. 

Candy's hands make quick work against his clothes, hungry lips fighting to stay connected as she pulls over his shirt, wanting his skin bare against hers. Her fingers undo his jeans, pushing them and his tight boxer briefs to the floor, he steps out them, only a slight jump as he tangles himself, as is typical Eddie. Venom intervenes, not wanting Eddie's clumsiness to ruin the mood. 

Candy moves her hands to his shoulders, a firm squeeze to feel the muscle beneath them, raking her nails down his chest before shoving him toward the bed as he lands with a thud. He only gets a few seconds to take her in, soft curves lunging forward to straddle him as she puts his hands back on her, pressing them into the swell of her ass. He groans, a wanton sound as she returns the passion, mouths messy against each other. 

She grinds her hips down, feeling him grow harder against her. She moves the sloppy kisses to his cheek, his ears, and neck before biting down gently on his shoulder. "Fuck, I missed you." she pants out into his ear, making his skin break out in goosebumps. With a whine, she nibbles at his ear, her breath heavy and his catching up in its quickness with their bodies against one another fully. She feels him give over control and she missed it so. She indulges herself, having to watch that thick neck tense, gulp and move without being able to have her mouth on it for all these months, she takes her time. Kitten licks turn to pornographic lapping up his traps to suck on his earlobes. She even missed getting to trace her nose against the shell of his ears that stuck out just slightly, giving him a boyish charm that she'd found irresistible from the beginning. 

She smoothly pulls back, a quick pull of his thick bottom lip between her teeth before playfully nudging him with her nose. "Get on the bed with me, baby." she whispers, hands on either side of his strung-out face. "Let me play with you for a little bit." she grins, her tongue peeking from between her teeth as she swings off him, crawling onto the bed, yanking the sheets down to the base of it, waiting on her knees for him. 

As always he obeys and with a drunken expression, she watches him pull himself to the center of the bed, laying back in all his naked glory for her to do with what she pleased. She'd imagined him like this when she was alone with wandering fingers. But nothing compared to having it under her hands again. Tracing his pouted lips with her fingers first, then trailing down the stubble of his rounded chin, between two soft and prominent pecs she leans down to plant kisses as her finger ends at the soft fuzz of his hair around his belly button. Affectionate pecks lull him, eyes heavy, watching her half lit by candles, as she licks at his nipple before taking it into her mouth, a deep suck that makes his toes curl at the feeling. Bites and a wicked grin distract him as she straddles him, hands moving splayed across his torso. She takes in the hills and valleys of his arms, nails digging into his sides with the surge of hunger she felt for him. Having already had an orgasm there was a certain laziness, a lack of urgency on her part as she let him watch her enjoy herself. 

"You..." she lets out a heavy sigh, biting her lip and leaning down close to his face. "Are so fuckin' sexy you know that?" she quirks her head to the side, giving him a sincere but lusty look before kissing his stuttering lips. 

"I thought cute maybe but I very much prefer that." his voice with its thick accent and high pitched strain as he jokes makes her smile, tracing her tongue across his lips as a low and predatory groan rises from her chest. She puts his hands, which had been waiting patiently at his side as she had her way with him, to her chest before she begins to kiss him again. This time it's deeper, slower. Her hand moving down his stomach to paw at his length, his fingers brushing over her hard nipples as she grasps him, a slow stroke as she moans into the kiss from the thick velvety feel of him she'd been missing. 

"I wanna feel you, Eddie. When it comes to this cock, I only wanna feel you against me. I don't want him to make you any different than you are. That alright?" a light sincere voice asks the favor of him in a delicate tone.

He nods, a raspy, "Yeah." as his cheeks flush at the need in her voice. Being with the symbiote had left him to want to explore making more of himself physically, thinking maybe she'd prefer it. But she was reminding him that he was enough, that she fell for him first without all the bells and whistles. 

She sucks his lip into her mouth again, missing the way they gave against her teeth. "I want you in my mouth first." she murmurs before a trail of kisses makes their way down to his cock. With almost sweet kisses, she covers his hips, balls and onto his length. Her lips move across his leaking head, kissing it just as she had his mouth. She reminds him of how much she enjoys sex. It'd been easy to forget as she had turned herself off to that part of her for a while now. But she had him back inside her and moaning around his thickness. Taking him down slowly, she lets the spit run down him, bobbing and slurping away in tandem with her hand, feeling the pulse of him under her tongue. She spreads his legs, mouth moving lower to his balls to tongue away at them. He lets his head fall back and exhale a helpless sound that makes her eyes roll back, a hungry hum as she takes his balls into her mouth one by one, missing everything about him and how he felt to her. Her hands massage his inner thighs, moving closer to the center. With one thumb, a gentle circular pressure, seeing if she could stimulate his prostate from the outside. The other thumb, lightly ghosts over the crease below, teasing at the potential to do what she'd confessed to enjoying, hoping to hear him moan like a whore, as she'd been told he would. 

She watches his chest and stomach wave in a rising and falling of his breath, hearing the moans and whimpers, humming around him, thumb circling his tensing muscle as she went back to having his cock in her mouth. He speaks incoherently, beginnings of words lost to heavy exhales as she puts pressure on him, taking him into her throat as he swears. She lets him fall wet and heavy from her mouth, tongue out and panting before giving a sudden broad lick up his center making him let out a little yip of a noise that makes her chuckle. 

"I'll let him take care of that later." she grins, wiping her mouth off on her forearm before crawling back up him, being welcomed with greedy hands as he pulls her closer to him, chest to chest. His hips angle themselves, his head seeking her out and finding the warm wetness waiting for him. With a few tender kisses to his neck, she rises, a slow grind against him as she reaches through her legs and puts him against his belly, slowly dragging herself against him. She puts his hands back on her breasts, he paws at them with a faraway look in his eyes. "You miss me Eddie?" she whispers, voice full of tease and bad intention. 

"Fuck yeah I did." he nods, his lips parted and brow furrowed. 

"You miss this pussy baby boy?" she leans forward slightly, one hand on his chest to hold her up, the other's thumb trailing over his wet lips. Her hips slow against him, if she only lifted herself he could push inside her. 

"Uh huh." he whines, a whimper following soon after as his hips involuntarily buck. 

"She missed you too." she coos with pouted lips. "You gonna take good care of us Venom?" she asks, looking beyond Eddie's eyes as she gazed into them. She feels a rumble under Eddie's skin and she lets out a dark hum of delight that makes Eddie twitch against her. "I know you boys'll take good care of me won't' you?" she bites her lip, hand tight on Eddie's chin, a quick, firm pat to it before lifting herself, his hand moving to hold himself up for her without prompting as she takes him into her. Her shoulders slump at the feeling of him. It wasn't as significant as Venom, but that wasn't what she wanted. She got to feel him stretch and fill her up with a curve that only he could give her, feel him and his skin move in and out of her as her eyes closed and her brow fell relaxed. "Fuck, Eddie." she whispers, head falling forward as she rode him slowly, hair falling in front of her face. 

His hands move to her thighs first, feeling them move, grasping at the softness of her before moving to her breasts. With her hands on his chest, they were pressed together, knocking into one another and he gulped at the sight. A rhythmic bounce that followed her sinking down on him completely, his hips moving without thought, bucking into her. He watched her head bob, her eyes shut as she let herself get lost in the feeling of him first, lips parted and sighing as her hips worked against him. 

Venom can feel her around him just as Eddie can, he knows how Eddie's heart is racing, how his eyes can't look away from her body moving on top of his. He also knows he's got to start joining in, as Eddie himself isn't going to last long with a sentimental assault like Candy was giving him. Eddie was soft, and he responded in full to being given it. That didn't mean Venom hadn't plugged every hole and made his eyes water from pleasure, it just meant he was a romantic at heart. He found the pet name of baby boy to feel fitting for him that Candy called him in bed from time to time. 

Venom begins to emerge from Eddie's skin. Coming from his chest first, covering Candy's hands to get her attention. When he sees her eyes flutter open, before a soft smile appears, grasping him with her fingers, and placing the strips of symbiote to her chest. She leans forward to Eddie, meeting with a kiss, his hips moving to keep up the languid pace with his legs wide and feet planted into the bed. He feels Eddie melt, the deep kiss making him moan out, his hands wrapping around her to her back and head, keeping her close. Venom begins to stretch out across them, a thin layer that moves down their bodies at the same rate, a pressure to their hips like hands, roaming across their ass to their thighs, encasing them both in a glaze of black ink. He begins a varied but rhythmic flick and pull to Candy's nipples first, knowing how much she liked them played with. Their kiss deepens, her hands into his hair, tugging at the thick dark, messy long pieces at the top of his head. Venom surges forward. 

With his limb like extremities, soft points moving their way gently to the meeting of thighs. He envelopes Eddie's balls, a deep grunt of appreciation as he begins the now well practiced back and forth of fondling of them. He moves to Candy's clit, a warm and wet cupping over her sex as she and Eddie joined, a hum of thick viscous, liquid-like symbiote around her to make her gasp into Eddie' mouth. He feels her tense around him and his balls tighten, knowing he was already adding to their pleasure, and thus his own. As he'd been informed in their late night texts, he knew what Candy was wanting from them. And from late nights alone with Eddie, he already knew exactly how he wanted it. So he begins prodding at their unused holes, both tensing at the first touch. 

"Is this okay?" he asks, meant for Candy, for the most part, a tentacle tickling against pink flesh. 

"Yeah." a muffled answer as she continued to hungrily kiss away at Eddie who was as happy as he could ever remember being, still pumping into her with the slow and languid pace their lips met in slow deep kisses. His hands held tight against her with both their fingers buried deep into each others hair. 

Venom presses forward, his slick and frictionless surface still being cautious to not hurt her, gathering up the wetness between her thighs, circling each of their holes before beginning a gentle pressure. He does this simultaneously, as he felt it would feel as if they were one cohesive unit to do so. And he so very badly wanted that. They both whine, parted lips hovering with rolled back eyes as they give to the gentle pressure. Eddie's hips stutter and Venom helps him by taking over for a moment, letting him melt into it as he liked to do. Candy gasps, Eddie moans, each whispering out swears into each other's mouths as their hands stopped and trembled. 

Once he hears Eddie's cue, a high pitched moan as he pushes up into him, knowing precisely where his prostate was. He finds an acceptable girth for them both, both taking a filling amount of him, he begins the slow motions of Eddie's hips and his own extensions. 

"Oh fuck." Candy moans out, eyes fluttering open and unable to focus. "Oh my god." she rasps, losing her strength and resting her weight against Eddie's chest. Venom stretches further, moving to hold her up off him, moving her hair to one side to keep it out of Eddie's face. She sees their skin turn black, shining like a lake surface in the dead of night, ripples as they all three moved together.

"Good?" she hears Venom ask in her ear, a heat of breath behind her, making her skin prickle in the best of ways. 

"Fuck yes." she lets herself moan out. "So fuckin'...ugh." she slouches as he fucks them both, picking up the speed slightly. Candy had used toys before, she'd had anal, it wasn't a totally foreign experience but she's never been filled at the same time and fucked without her having to do anything. A humming buzz about her clit, feeling the soft waves of Venom between her and Eddie as they moved together seamlessly. She finds herself being the wanton whore she'd teased Eddie about sounding like. 

His breaths were heavy, holding her face as her mouth panted against his, a few kisses exchanged as they could manage. He watched her give over it, a feeling of wholeness from himself and not only Venom comes over him. She accepted both of them, she was willing to explore this insanity just as much as he was and she was exactly who he wanted to do it with. "I'm close." she whimpers out and the sound makes Eddie hold her face and kiss her hard.

"Me too," he admits, a groan against her kiss-swollen lips. "Come for me baby please, fuck lemme feel you." he confesses in a fast exhale, wanting to experience her again. It'd been too long. 

"F-Faster." she gasps out, and as soon as she says it her wish is granted. There's no slap of skin to skin with Venom, but the push and pressure just right, knocking into her with more force she let's out a cry she never had before. With Eddie at her throat, holding her as tightly as he could, he feels her body convulse hard, her shouting out for him, incoherent sounds with deep groans as she came around him, and as Venom had said he liked in the movies, and with the right pressure inside of Eddie, he forces him to come at the same time as her. Both hold tight to each other, coming together which was so rare without outside intervention, they feel like they may very literally melt into one another. Candy's head sags to his shoulder, his hips now only twitching, deep grunts as he emptied himself into her, Venom milking him for everything he had. She seizes, aftershocks and sensitivity from Venom slithering around them both, the slightest brush making her thighs shake and a small whimper escape her lips. 

She'd never felt so satisfied. She felt full, in more than the literal translation. The oxytocin was flowing and as she kissed Eddie, his signature tenderness makes her moan into him, hands on either side of his face, she felt her heart flutter for reasons beyond the out of this world orgasm she'd just had. Eddie felt much the same, being touched so lovingly by her as they caught their breath. His hands rest on her back, not wanting to have to separate yet. He'd been needing her close like this for so long he didn't want to let her go. Venom feels this sentiment, a content purring as Eddie's body stabilizes. As Venom was learning, he decided to give Eddie what he wanted the best way he knew how. He slid out of them gently, making sure they were both unharmed. He wicks away the moisture from their bodies, gathering himself back up to extend downward and pull up the covers over them. He keeps their soft kisses going, moving them slowly so Candy was underneath Eddie. Venom was impressed with how Candy let him move and manipulate her, it had taken Eddie so long to get used to it. 

The kiss pauses, Candy's fingers light through Eddie's messy hair as they take in the glow of each other's faces. 

"Stay. We are happy like this." Venom says, removing himself from their bodies so he could stretch throughout the house. "I will get the candles." he says, leaving them to fawn over each other. 

"That was amazing." Candy whispers, looking down to Eddie's lips, feeling his weight against her, resting between her legs to be comforting. He takes her thigh, keeping it close as he moves to his side, throwing it over his hip as she keeps close to him, now both situated with a pillow under their heads, his arms back around her where they longed to be. "Intense." she says with clearer eyes. 

"Very." he agrees with a sleepy, soft voice. "Never thought we'd get to do that together," he admits, moving in to nuzzle her neck, wrapping his arms around her tight. "Thanks." he mutters into her collarbone. 

"I told you, baby. He's a part of you now, and I want you around so I want him around. I'm willing to explore this...this..." her head shakes subtly. 

"Craziness?" he offers with a soft huff of a laugh.

"Yeah, this craziness." she hums happily. "I'm willing to explore all this with you." she nuzzles her face into his hair, nails gently raking against his back. 

"I don't wanna lose you." he confesses. "I was so afraid I would when we told you about us." Venom is surprised by the romantic confession as he hadn't prompted him to say it. He continues blowing out the candles and puts away the food. He knew they'd be wanting it after a nap. 

"Can't leave you now." she smiles against him. "It's just getting interesting isn't it?" she kisses his head. 

He smiles with closed eyes into her skin, taking in the warmth and softness she had to offer. "It is."

'We love her Eddie.' Venom whispers into his head as he slinks back into the room.

"Yeah." Eddie mumbles into her skin out loud.

"Hmm?" Candy asks with closed eyes. 

"Let's sleep." Venom offers, now sank back into Eddie except for his head which looks over both his favorite humans. He gets under the covers, a warm wiggling softness against Candy's back that she smiles at before she lets out a big yawn. 

"Yeah," she mumbles, squeezing Eddie and nuzzling her head and Venom. "Let's do that." she lets herself enjoy this extraordinary life she now had. She's started with one amazing investigative reporter who in her eyes was capable of anything. Now she had a man with an alien companion who was capable of anything. So except for the third head, in her heart it now didn't feel that different. She had not only a soft but determined man to have her back, she had a symbiote that could keep them both safe. 

She knew this held endless possibilities, opening up so many new paths they couldn't have gone done together before Venom, or even before they'd met each other. But as Eddie was stronger with Venom, she felt stronger with Eddie. And now that she had Eddie, and he had Venom, she knew they could do whatever they wanted.


	15. From Fantasy to Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and Candy both start to deal with the reality and the downsides to their success and the symbiote. Candy battles herself on feeling like she’s out of touch and not helping enough. She has to share some bad news with Eddie, but she follows it up with good news.

Having finished a two-part episode for her show, Candy found herself with the rare few days off. Since she’d been so engrossed in her current project, new stories had been slipping her grasp as she’d been ignoring the acts of violence and focusing on her investigations for the shady business practices of the newly rich tech guys. The only thing more problematic than their umbrella companies was the even shadier nightlife patterns in the neighborhoods where the poor mixed with new gentrification.

She was currently trying to catch up on messages and emails from her sources and friends in the mission and tenderloin, trying to see what areas looked like they could use some help.

She spent her night reading and researching, not a terrible use of her time as it was one of her favorite past times, but she would’ve rather been spending this night off with Eddie. He was currently finishing up a job and would be flying out on a red-eye back home. So she was spending her evening getting together all the violent crimes stats she could to pass them on to him.

They’d formed a relationship much like his and Venom’s, where it was mutually beneficial and based on a strong foundation of killing people that deserved it. She gathered the information, as she was known to be excellent at and passed it on to Eddie. Sending him patterned locations of the worst sort of violent crimes. She focused mainly on ones that were committed against women and children on her own personal bias but she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

As was their schedule, Candy would normally be wrapping up with her crew and having a drink at some bar near where they were shooting and Eddie would be out with the information she gave him and hunting. She could tell it made Eddie feel better about what he was doing, grateful for her help as he was good at intimidation and being a bit of a cowboy when it came to his work, but she was more precise and worked faster within legal means. Since his time was spent traveling and being slower at the writing bit, she took it upon herself to do the bad guy round up and let he and Venom handle the things that the law wouldn’t. Eddie felt he had a purpose, even found himself thinking of himself as some sort of vigilante justice character head, a man for the people again. He’d wanted to be some sort of superhero growing up, do some sort of good in the world, and he was surprised and found contentment that he could help, actually make a difference as he saw it. He could interview all the serial killers or heartless CEO’s he wanted but nothing felt as proactive as eating a pedophile whole.

So on this Friday night, Candy sits at home alone, watching true crime documentaries and folding laundry. Not exciting but a necessary action she’d been neglecting. Eddie is encapsulated inside his symbiote as he rips and tears through a gang in an abandoned warehouse. Eating his fill, swallowing men whole and leaving nothing to be found. They both go to bed alone, but share a goodnight text before falling asleep, both exhausted but fulfilled.

That next morning Candy decides it’s been too long since she’d been to the shelter and volunteered. She gets up early and dressing down, being used to overthinking her outfits since being more in the public eye. She didn’t want to be all over social media in people’s selfies looking like she wasn’t doing as well as she was. But it felt good to get back into her old trainers, holey jeans and an old habitat for humanity t-shirt that was faded from time and washings.

She’s greeted more enthusiastically than usual. Some of the younger volunteers asking for pictures with her, but she was volunteering and it didn’t matter what she looked like. To be honest, the skin care routine the makeup artist with the studio had suggested along with sending her for facials had left her feeling more confident without makeup than she ever had. It was comforting and problematic in its own ways, knowing that having money and access to these sorts of things was what made so-called celebrities look so good. But as she learned, rubbing elbows with people from all walks, everyone had their own ugliness deep down that no amount of gold fleck, young blood, or endangered snail facials could erase.

The people at the shelter treated her the same and it’s what she wanted. A little break to be treated like just another face and be around humans who didn’t deny their struggles but rather wanted to share. She’d take this over a gala any day. She gladly took the shit talking from her old friends, jokingly asking for an autograph and she got to roll her eyes and laugh about the insanity of her importance.

As she settles into a far table, shifts changing and people moving in and out, she stays back, observing and having a soda. She sees an almost unrecognizable version of a woman who had given her information shuffle in. The woman sees Candy and begins to hobble towards her on sight.

“Who did it?” Candy says rising immediately and taking her by the hand, sitting her down before joining her on a couch.

The woman smiles, patting Candy’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re back.” she says with a sigh.

Candy learns in her absence that violence has been rising again. The cops being mad and not patrolling as often due to her expose’, unreported crime had been on the rise. The usual drugs and fighting were always there, but groups of people not from the area were starting to come in looking for trouble. Candy takes out her notebook and gets all the information she can. Descriptions, locations, dates, times, and injuries for her notes. It felt good to be back in her place of origin and getting to be around people she knew. She’d been so invested in going higher up, taking down bigger people, interviewing strangers for their silhouetted, voice distorted words. Getting to help someone with no other motive than helping, no cameras, no paycheck involved felt right and she felt grounded. Candy told her friend she would do what she could, try to pass the information on to someone who could help. She just couldn’t disclose that the person who could help would be eating the abusers.

She takes a shower, scrubbing away the dirt of helping clean the shelter, thinking about how she felt responsible for the uptick in problems. She wanted to do something to correct it. Something besides point Venom in the direction and have him attack. SHE wanted to do something. As she’s brainstorming, hair piled on top of her head messily, chewing on the end of a pen, Eddie’s voice startles her out of her train of thought.

“Thought we were keepin’ work out of our days off?” he scolds playfully, hanging up his coat as she moves and closes her laptop that was sitting in her lap on the couch.

“I went to the shelter this morning to do some work.” she takes a big stretch, lifting her arms over her head and groaning. “I’ve been distracted by it all afternoon.” she yawns.

“You interested in some other kinds of distractions?” Eddie smiles and moves in to kiss her.

“Maybe.” she chuckles against his lips.

“Maybe?” his voice goes high pitched and cracks. “Ya gonna have to do better than that Candy.” he teases, face moving to her neck.

She laughs and hums happily as he moves her back to the couch as he snuggles down between her legs, nuzzling into her neck and giving her pecks to her face and chest. “Of course I am. But have you eaten yet?”

“What are you my mother?” he laughs, raising up to look down at her.

“Has he eaten today Venom?” you ask with a scolding tone.

“We have not.” he says, a little blob of a head appearing over Eddie’s shoulder.

“How do you think you’re gonna fuck me well enough for me to keep you around if you aren’t fueled up?” she laughs, kissing his cheek and wiggling out from under him and into the floor as he watches with his mouth open with fake disbelief.

“You hearin’ this?” he asks Venom, flopping to his side and watching her. “The way she talks to us?” he says, watching her move to the kitchen.

“She has a point, Eddie.” Venom says, looking at him, knowing she wasn’t serious, but also seeing the facts in what she was saying.

“I can’t win with both of you on the same side.” he groans, getting up from the couch.

“Get in here and eat baby boy.” she chirps and moves to take the leftovers out of the fridge.

“We not goin’ out?” he asks, ruffling his hair with his hand.

“We are, but I have to get ready and you’re going to get cranky if we go out on an empty stomach.”

“This is true.” Venom says. “You get very grumpy and I have to work harder to keep you stable. Eat.”

“Geez you two. Fine.” he says taking the cold container of pasta and shoving a fork full into his mouth.

“Good boys.” she says kissing his sauce-stained cheek. “There are pills in the cabinet for you Venom. I’m gonna go get ready.” she calls out.

“Yesssss.” she hears him hiss, already stretching across the room as she walks towards her bedroom.

———-  
Candy looks lovely, a dress and curled hair with boots as she and Eddie walk side by side down the street after a movie. They’re on their way to dinner, wanting something quick to eat while they get a bigger order to go and then go home and be able to snuggle up. Being in public together was something that they both wanted but neither liked doing. They couldn’t be affectionate as they didn’t want anyone to know they were a couple and Candy was starting to get quite annoyed by it. When she’d heard “Oh my God are you two together? You’re so cute!” after taking pictures with people who recognized them for the 8th time that night, she let out a frustrated sigh.

“What’s wrong babe?” Eddie asks quietly, handing her her helmet.

“I’m just…” she rolls her eyes and sighs. “Just not in a great mood.” she mumbles, taking her place behind him on the bike. “Let’s just go home baby. I don’t want to have to stop myself from holding your hand anymore. I’m tired.” she wraps her arms around him, and feels Venom lace between her fingers. “Yeah, I ’m tired of hiding too.” she sighs against Eddie’s back.

Eddie can tell she’s distracted and frustrated when she keeps chewing on her bottom lip while they watch a movie.

“You can just tell me what’s wrong ya know?” he says out of nowhere and her eyes blink fast, coming back online.

“Just having a weird day.” she sighs, nuzzling her face into his chest.

“That could mean a lotta things.” he states with a sweet tone.

“I’m trying not to think about work. But I found out crime has spiked in the tenderloin because the cops are being pissy and not patrolling as much, possibly because of me and the expose’ we did. Then some of the women I know have been assaulted and no ones helping. I got that info and I’m gonna pass it on to you so you guys can handle it. But I’m just frustrated because I want to help. Not hand everything off to you two.”

“You are helpin’.” Eddie states obviously.

“How? You two are going out and doing everything.” she says with an attitude and Eddie knows she’s only mad at herself.

“You’re giving us the information. I couldn’t know all this stuff if it wasn’t for you. And I’d rather be out there than you. I worry about you when you’re out there doin’ filed work ya know.”

“I know. But that’s where I want to be. I miss doing things without cameras. Getting my hands dirty. I just want to feel like I’m anonymous and can get in there and work on the ground floor again. I’ve been in so many skyrise apartments and fucking overdone offices lately to interview assholes I’m afraid I’m going to lose touch.”

“Oh now that’s not true.” Eddie says, rubbing her arm. “You’re only one woman babe. You can’t do everything. You know how many people you’ve helped since doin’ the show? More than you ever coulda reached before.”

“Yeah.” she grumbles. “Doesn’t mean I don’t miss it though.”

‘She could come with us.’ Venom says in Eddie’s head.

“Absolutely not.” Eddie answers out loud.

“Huh?” Candy looks up at him.

“Talkin’ to Venom.” he mutters.

“What’s he saying?” she asks curiously.

“No, don’t-” Eddie begins before being interrupted.

“You should come with us. We can protect you.”

“Really?” her eyes flash brightly.

“No, no. I don’t want her involved in this.” Eddie says.

“Look at her. She wants to. She is unhappy.” Venom coos.

“You can’t just go givin’ her what she wants just cause she’s unhappy. She’ll be a lot more unhappy and so will we if she’s dead.”

“That’s what I do to you.” she pouts. “And couldn’t you guys protect me?” she says with a higher pitched voice.

“We could. We do not have to do anything dangerous.” he says aloud. 'Take her out with us, we do not have to hunt. Let her feel useful. It is important to her.’ he says to Eddie in his head.

“Yeah, we can just check out some places or something. Or you could be my bodyguard’s, I could be bait.”

“No bait.” they both answer and she sighs.

“Fine.” she frowns.

“You should think of other ways to be helpful though. Comin’ with us isn’t something you should get used to. It makes me nervous.” Eddie shakes hs head, his brow low.

“But is that a yes?” she smiles.

“Okay. We’ll take you out. But we aren’t going to go looking for trouble, alright?” he says with raised brows, trying to show her he was serious.

“Deal.” she says with a smile, snuggling back into him.

'Awwww. See? Look how happy she is.’ Venom says quietly in Eddie’s head, reaching a tendril out to lovingly pet on Candy’s hip. She takes it and holds it as it forms into a hand.

Eddie nods and sighs, giving her a kiss on the head, thinking about how he really didn’t want her to get hurt because of him.

——  
“Any other ideas in miscellaneous?” Candy’s producer asks the room full of the Report’s crew.

“Have you seen this crazy shit?” one of her interns says, tossing a printed out photo across the table to her. “Somebody got a picture of this crazy looking thing. It’s blurry as shit and dark but it’s been exposed and brighten. What the hell is that thing?” he says with a look of amusement.

Candy takes the picture and tries to not show her fear. Someone had gotten a picture of Venom, crawling up the side of building. It was dark and blurry, but she knew her alien boyfriend when she saw him. “What’s uh… what is this?”

“The cryptozoology boards are lit the fuck up over it. Calling some San Francisco crawler. The OP said they saw it lurking around rooftops and they got this shot. Apparently, the thing is fuckin’ HUGE and fast.”

“You sure it’s not just photoshopped?” she says convincingly enough.

“It’s damn good photoshop if it is.” he shrugs.

“Where’d you find this?” she asks, putting the paper back down on the table.

“On the San Francisco boards. Some monster hunters were flipping their shit over it. Trying to come up with theories about it. Saw it down in the mission apparently. Tying it in with the spike in missing persons from there possibly. ”

“Yeah most of those people are a bit… imaginative.” she says with heavy condescending in her voice.

“I thought it’s something you might be able to have fun with. No one’s really talking about it yet. Thought you might want in on the ground floor.” he shrugs, putting the picture back in his folder.

“I do news. People, places, events. I don’t do cryptozoology crap like that. What am I going to do go stand in a dark alley and wait?” she says sarcastically and a murmur of chuckles and agreement come from the others. “That sort’ve thing is below us. Cool to talk about on some monster board but I don’t want to cover things that are possibly fake and only speculation. Thanks for thinking outside the box though.” she shrugs and tries to pull back not make the kid feel bad. It wasn’t his fault her boyfriend’s powers had been possibly exposed.

“And any other new ideas?” her producers asks again, she’d been waiting to share something when there was a lull in the talking.

“Yeah.” Candy nods, tapping her pen on her notepad, trying to shed the worry and focus. “I thought maybe we should try to connect with the city more. Give back, give some good PR for us and the network. I think this show would be a great place to do something like that.”

“What do you mean?” she’s asked.

“Do spotlights on places that help people out. Show us donating money and time and we can give out information on their causes and tell people how to donate to them. It’ll be a story by focusing on a particular struggle on the ground level, the people that don’t normally get any credit. It’ll be easy, fast and cheap to shoot. The money saved can go towards a donation.”

“That’s… a great PR idea.” she responds, scribbling down on her notepad. “I think this would be a good way to balance out the budget. Get more social media involvement, show that we are a part of the community like you said.” she nods in thought.

“It would also give us more downtime to work on bigger things and not give us 7 day work weeks.” Candy offers.

“Also that. A day or two of shooting, a press release, quick press conference. Some talking heads and narration.” she nods. “Would be a hell of a lot easier on logistics.”

“My thoughts exactly.” she smiles proudly.

“Alright. Well, I have another meeting coming up, so anything else?”

“Yeah one more thing but, I’d like to speak to you privately if that’s okay.”

A murmur of yes’s from the crew around her who are already packing up their things.

“Fine with me.” she says, putting away her things, Candy moves to sit on the table top next to her.

“Is it bad news?” she asks first.

“No.” she laughs and shakes her head. “But I needed you to run something by the higher-ups or, HR or whoever needs to be told about this.” she shrugs.

“Oh God did someone harass you? Shit.”

“No! No.” she moves her hands back and forth with another friendly smile. “I’ve just been seeing someone and I’d like to be able to go public with it.”

“Oh!” she says with a big nod and the clear sign of relief in her shoulders. “Who’s the lucky guy?” she asks with a much more perky disposition.

“Eddie Brock.” she says with a nervous chuckle.

“Ahhhh.” She nods. “I see why you’re asking now. Wasn’t in your contract to have to ask these sorts of things.”

“Yeah, I know. People see us out and we have to be careful not to get too close and everything. And we’re pretty serious, so I’d like to be able to go out on a date with my boyfriend ya know? But since we’re both employees and this used to be his show…” she frowns.

“No, I get it. I do. It was smart of you to have me check first. I appreciate it.”

“So just…text me or email me when you know something? I’d love to be able to have a real date night and not pretend like we’re just friends when people ask us for selfies and tell us how cute we are together.” she smiles and walks towards the door.

“If I have time I’ll swing by and ask today. I don’t think they’ll have a problem with it, since you two have your own successful things going on now but I’ll let you know when I know, kay?”

“Thank you. I mean it.” she says sincerely with a wave goodbye.

———-

It’s date night and Candy has both good and bad news on her mind. She’s sitting across from Eddie who is eating cheese fries and rather messily. She sighs for what could’ve been the hundredth time that night.

'Ask her what is wrong?’ Venom suggests

“Mmmph?” Eddie makes a sound, but Candy just thinks he’s enthusiastic about his fries as she chomps away at her fried pickles. Something Eddie made fun of her for, telling her he didn’t know he was dating a hillbilly. She took it in stride and told him to shut his city ass up.

'Something is wrong. Stop stuffing your face with this artery-clogging food and pay attention.’ he snaps at him.

Eddie wipes the cheese from his face, taking a moment to look her over, her eyes were far away but her mouth was set in a pleasant smile. “Somethin’ wrong?” he asks, pushing the fries away.

“Maybe.”

“Well can you maybe tell us?” he says playfully.

“There are pictures of you.” her lips move to a straight line and she meets his eyes. She hadn’t wanted to ruin the night with this but she obviously wasn’t hiding anything from them.

“Pictures?” he says with the push back of his chin, his eyebrows lowering in question.

“Of Venom.” she says quietly.

Eddie’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“In the meeting this week for brainstorming one of the interns found a, albeit really poor quality, photo of you crawling up the side of a building in the mission. ” she says with no inflection, clearly she’d been dreading sharing this news.

“Oh.” he says with wide eyes that darted around the table.

“Yeah. You’re gonna have to figure something out. Maybe lay low for a bit. The crypto people have ahold of it and have already linking it to disappearances in the area.”

“Whatta ya mean linked?”

“With their theories.”

“So nothing concrete?” the relief in his voice is obvious.

“It’s a blurry picture of a humanoid creature…so it’s all theories.” she shakes her head. “No one in the meeting seemed to take it seriously and I shot it down as internet fodder that wasn’t worthy of our time. BUT the missing people have been noticed. Which means you need to switch up your locations or try to make it on chocolate and pills for a bit until the interest passes.”

“He’s not happy about that.” Eddie frowns.

“About which part?”

“The chocolate and pills part.”

“Of course.” she rolls her eyes. “He should be more concerned about being seen and found out. That’s a whole world of trouble that none of us want. We have a nice little set up between the three of us. We don’t need outside involvement to come for our careers or our personal lives.” she whispers, her face more sad than annoyed now.

“She’s got a point, man. You need to keep your priorities in line here. We’ve done it before we can do it again.” he shakes his head.

“I’ll even order more pills. Get some chocolate wholesale or something. I won’t let you waste away. You know that.” she reaches out and takes his hand in hers and the affectionate touch in public surprises them both. She’d been scolding them so long for trying to touch her when they were out that this was a more meaningful touch than what it would seem on the surface.

“We’re a team alright? I’ll do everything I can to keep the noise down from my end. I’ll keep you both running as best as I can. And you can lay low for me okay? We’ll just spend Friday nights together when we can instead of you out hunting.”

“That’s something we can both agree one.” he smiles and rubs his thumb across the back of her hand. “More time together would be nice.” his soft smiles warms her, makes her feel like everything will be okay.

“It would.” she squeezes his hand and looks down at it. “And I’ve got some other news. Some good news.” she says with a tilt of her head. “I’d just been so worried about ruining the night with mentioning the pictures that it just…” she motions to her head. “Took over my brain. So… sorry. Ive not meant to be distant.”

“S'okay.” he squeezes her hand back, surprised she’s still holding it. “You got good news though? Let’s focus on the good news.” he suggests.

“We can do that.” she nods and gives him a warm smile back that makes Venom purr. “You done with those fries babe?” she laughs. “I’ll tell you the good news on the way.” she offers with a hum of happiness.

“Yeah, wait.” he says, taking his finger and getting the rest of the cheese after stuffing the remaining fries in his mouth. “Ready.” he mumbles out with stuffed cheeks and she cant help but laugh at him.

“C'mon you slopapotamus.” she snorts.

She holds his hand on the way to the movie theatre as they walk together. He doesn’t dare mention it because it’s making them both giddy with pride. They were getting to show she was theirs and that was extremely important to Venom and Eddie just wanted to be able to show her he liked her through touch. They get to the line and she’s recognized.

“Oh my god can I get a selfie?” the girl says excitedly.

“Of course.” Candy says, leaning in and smiling.

“Holy shit you’re Eddie Brock, right?” the girl asks. Looking up at him.

“That’d be me.” he says with a charming smile.

“Can I get a picture with you too?” she asks with wide eyed.

“Yeah.” he says politely.

“Oh my god wait. Are you two like on a date or something I totally just interrupted. Shit, I’m sorry.” she says her face flushing with embarrassment.

“Yeah we were but it’s fine.” Candy laughs, moving and putting her arm around Eddie’s back and he tries to hide how much Venom is freaking out in his head and how equally shocked he was on the inside. “Have a good night.” she says sweetly, moving up in the line.

“What?” Eddie’s eyes dart around. “What was that?” his voice breaks.

“The good news.” she says, moving to put her arms around him under his jacket.

“Oh?” his high pitched voice of shock makes her sigh at his bewildered, adorable face.

“I asked if we could go public about our relationship.” she says quietly, her chin tilting up towards him.

“And they said yes?” he says with excited eyes.

“They did.” she purrs back.

“Oh shit.” he lets out a giggle, wrapping his arms around her. “They did?”

“Uh huh.” she nods. “So are you gonna give your girlfriend a kiss or what Eddie?” she teases.

“Of fuckin’ course I am.” he mutters, already leaning against her lips.

“You think we can even get a bit saucy and holds hands during the movie? Might even let you put your arm around me.” she winks and laughs.

“If you don’t mind my butter fingers from the popcorn.” he laughs.

“You know I never mind your fingers when they’re slippery Eddie.” she coos and gives him a suggestive look as she pulls away, tugging at his hand.

“Oh!” he giggles again and follows behind her like a happy puppy to the ticket stand.


	16. Rudeness and Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candy tries to keep things professional but the media seems more interested in her personal life than her professional offerings. After a night out goes wrong, Candy tries to handle it the mature way but finds that she prefers good old fashion, cold-blooded revenge when it comes to being pushed aside by those in power because of their money.

 

After a date night that carried on long after the movie was over, Candy wakes up to to the snoring of Eddie in her ear. As usual, he's wrapped around her, his head by hers, nuzzled into her neck with her arms loosely around the big baby's body. He was blissfully unaware of the vibrating phone on the edge of the bed, but Candy was not.

"Nngh." she grunts, moving and slapping her hand on the bed to get the phone. Venom emerges slowly, like cold molasses as he taps the phone for snooze. "'fanks." she mumbles, as Eddie stirs, his arms moving in to hold her tighter to him, his face rubbed into the pillow before mushing his lips against her face.

"Not yet." he grumbles, his plea making a sleepy smile spread across Candy's face.

"I've got the thing this mornin' babe." she replies before her voice cracks and she clears her throat.

"No thing." is his brilliant retort.

"She's filming at the shelter today Eddie." Venom informs him, his voice the same as always.

"And you have a meeting don't you?" she says in a scolding tone, not making any attempt to move yet, her fingers combing through his warm and soft messy hair.

"Shit." he groans out, planting his face into the pillow.

"I'll take that as a yes." she chuckles, kissing his temple. Neither make any attempt to actually leave the soft, warm confines of the comforter they were nestled under together. After a night out, followed by a rather rambunctious night in they were both longing to keep up the idea that they could stay snuggled up forever. But alas, it was a weekday and they both had to get back to their less inviting responsibilities.

\-------

Candy stands in her three-piece skirt suit on the portable platform in front of the shelter. The press was there, along with a lot of the usual faces of employees and volunteers to celebrate the donation of the network and the full day of talking heads and interviews they'd be shooting. As the character head of the show, it having her name on it after all, she was doing the Press Release and the talking. After the formalities and cover story shots have been done, the questions begin. At first, it's all business as usual, who's idea, who donated the money, why this shelter? But as the head of a gossip mag popped up amidst the more formally sanctioned journalists Candy hides her frown.

"Is it true that you and the former host of this show, Eddie Brock are dating?" she asks without missing a beat and no shame in her face.

"Those questions aren't really appropriate for this event. This is about the people, the shelter, not my personal life."

"You two have been spotted around the city together. With the photos of you two canoodling out, do you still have no comment?" she presses.

Candy sighs, looking over to the producer who shrugs and motions her forward.

"For the sake of transparency, we are dating. But to bring the attention back to shelter, perhaps you'd prefer to know that we have both volunteered here before?" she offers, trying to reign in the follow-up questions. There's a general disinterest as notes are scribbled onto notepads. "Because we have." she offers with a tone of disappointment at the lack of interest.

"How long have you been dating?" another person chirps up.

Candy breathes through her nose and remains composed, but her eyes give away her annoyance otherwise. "I don't want to talk about the specifics of my personal life." she barely gets out before another voice chimes in.

"Were you dating before you took over the show? Is it a conflict of interests to have someone Eddie Brock was dating take over his show?" a man asks, looking to start trouble already.

"We were not dating at the time no." Candy flatly states.

"He thanked you in his awards speech though did he not?"

"He did, but we were not romantically involved."

"Was the speech what made you fall for him?" one of the more fashion-centered local magazines asks. They had given a four out of five star rating to Candy's look for that awards ceremony.

"No, but it didn't hurt." Candy says with a smile, a slight laugh from the crowd at her response and more light-hearted answer. "We worked together before I took over the show and that's how we knew each other. And it was sometime after the awards show that we began dating in an official capacity. That should clear up any further questions on that."

"Is there any animosity with you taking over what used to be his show?"

"No. He turned it down and suggested me for the job."

"How did he feel about getting fired from it before?" a follow-up question is quickly shouted out.

"Okay." Candy purses her lips. "I've indulged the questions enough. If you want to know more about Eddie Brock, ask Eddie Brock. If you want to know more about us from my perspective, book me for that specifically and we'll talk. Otherwise, any more questions about the work here today? This isn't about me. It's about the people here who are far more important than I am." she says motioning to the owners in the crowd.

The day passes, the gossip magazines and local feminist publications having a field day with the new information. As she expected, because she was dating a, to them, straight white man she had lost some sort of points it seemed in their eyes. Her work assistant kept her up to date as the alerts went off on her phone about her and Eddie. She knew it was all bound to happen and she was prepared for it. But being able to be with him openly was worth all the nonsense they could throw at her.

At the suggestion of one of the PA's, they all go out after a long day for drinks. She texts Eddie, letting him know his inbox might be blowing up and letting him know where and what she was up to. A quickly snapped photo of her at the bar, girls on either side of her as the haze of tech bros lurking in the background doesn't go unnoticed by him.

"Why there?" he asks, a wrinkled face at his phone in question.

"One of the PA's suggested it. I regret it already." she laughs and sends.

"Don't let those bastardized Steve Jobs wannabe's get near you. I don't know how to debug any virus they might give you." he jokes. Venom grins at Eddie's attempts to make a joke.

"Nice." he gives a nod of approval over his shoulder as they sit on Candy's couch.

Candy snorts and smiles, wanting to skip the social drinking and just go home.

"Aren't you that girl from tv?" a guy in neon sneakers that probably cost more than she made in a month slides obnoxiously between Candy and her assistant, acting like she didn't exist.

"Aren't you that guy with no social skills?" she asks, eyeballing him up and down, taking a sip of her drink.

"You tv types are always up your own asses." he says, still not moving.

"I don't like guys who roll up between me and my associate here like she doesn't exist. We were in the middle of a conversation."

"How else am I supposed to talk to you?" he asks with a shake of his head.

"Ask if you can interject? Or just... dont." she responds flatly. "You didn't even know my name so you aren't a fan, why would you even bother talking to me?"

"Because I wanted to fuck you?" he says obviously.

"Ugh. Gross." she says out of gut instinct. "Just... go away." she says, holding up a hand to his face.

"Whatever." he says with a roll of his eyes, his obliviousness something he wore proudly.

"Ew. Guys are so gross nowadays." her friend says with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Tell me about it." she rolls her eyes.

"You're lucky to have found someone who's nice."

"Don't I know it." she says with large eyes.

"Hey. Excuse me." a guy interrupts with apologetic body language. "You're Candy Miller right?" he asks with an outstretched hand.

Candy looks down at his hand before twitching her lips in consideration of taking it. "Yeah."

"I'm afraid I might be responsible for that guy giving you a hard time. I'm Mark. That was Seth, he's... well he's a bit of a dick most of the time."

"Yeah he was." she answers plainly, leaving him hanging.

"I mentioned there was a chick from tv here and he just kinda... swooped in." he says with a laugh, trying to break the ice.

She gives him a nod, still not giving over to his apparent politeness.

He withdraws his hand with a frown. "I wanted to apologize on his behalf. I've actually watched your show. It's good. You're good in front of the camera."

"Thanks." she says with a less angry inflection. "For that and the apology." she adds, trying to be a bit more personable.

"No problem. Can I buy you a drink or something to make up for it?" he asks, no sleazy delivery to be heard.

"No thanks." you say with a shake of your head.

"What about you?" he turns and asks her friend. "He just shoved in front of you too." he gives her a smile.

"Yeah, sure." she says with a small shrug.

The guy hangs around for a little while, small talk, nothing of much substance. Candy gets swept away other people, some better than her first encounter of the night and some just the same. She moves back over to her assistant and has her hand her her drink as she's in the middle of being chatted up by some guy. Candy downs it, the period to the end of the sentence that is her time at this bar for the night. She stands against the wall and makes polite transition out of the conversation. It doesn't take her long to start feeling the effects of the drink. She shakes her head and excuses herself. By the time she's in the back hallway, slamming into the women's bathroom door she knows something's gone wrong.

She sinks into the floor behind a locked bathroom stall door. Her head was spinning in cycles. She rested her head against the cold tile wall as she fumbled with her phone, holding it up and dropping it a few times before finally tapping furiously at the little picture of Eddie in her contacts.

"Eds." she says with a groan.

"Candy? Babe you have too much to drink?" he says with a smile, expecting her to just be a bit tipsy and telling him to come to get her.

"No. Something. I think I got the wrong drink." she says, trying to recall the night's events.

"You sick?" he asks, both he and Venom more on alert at the sound of her slurred voice.

"I think she handed me her drink. Or something... someone put something in it." she gets out, her brow furrowed as she presses her back against the wall.

"Shit." he says, already standing and moving to the door to get his shoes and coat. "Are you okay? Are you in a safe place?"

"Girl's bathroom. Same bar." she says, her palm pressed to her forehead.

"I'm coming to get you, Candy. You stay there. Lock the door, alright?" he says, opening up the garage door and rolling out his bike. Venom was rolling through Eddie's brain, learning what he could about what was happening to Candy. He only really knew Eddie was very worried.

"Mmmm kay." she says as he hangs up. She knocks her hand against the door and it doesn't budge so she figures she got it secured. She props herself up against the wall, her feet against the other side of the stall, the walls going all the way down to the floor in each one. Things got fuzzy after some time passes, she tries to stay awake, but finds herself dozing off.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Eddie asks Candy's assistant as she picks up on the third call.

"Uh yeah?" she says with a clearly unaware tone.

"Someone is putting stuff in the drinks there. Candy is in the bathroom right now. I need you to go check on her. I'm on my way." he says with a more certain and deep tone than she'd ever heard from him. She was used to the boyish and playful Eddie. But this Eddie meant business.

"Oh shit. Okay." she says, eyes wide and a hint of panic in her voice.

"Don't tell me you've been taking drinks from someone besides the bar tender. You're not that stupid." he says as his eyes dart past the cars on the road, knowing Venom was paying attention even if he wasn't.

"No. Uh. I got bought a drink but I hadn't touched it yet." she says. "Wait. Shit."

"Yeah?" Eddie presses.

"Me and Candy were drinking the same thing. I must've given her the new one and not the one she'd had. Fuck." she says as he hears movement in the background. "Hey..." he hears her say softly. "I got her. Well, I see her in there anyway."

"I'm just a few minutes away. Stay with her." he orders and hangs up.

\------

After a very long night and having to lose half a day to feeling like absolute garbage Candy recovers. After taking her to the ER with the help of her assistant it wasn't long until the culprit of her sickness was identified and she was given something to keep it spreading and making her worse. Steph sat and held back her hair as she gagged and Eddie sat in the sterile room chewing his nails. He was furious.

After she's cleared, they both take her back home, getting her in bed where Eddie's exhausted body lies next to hers, propped up on a pile of pillows and pulling her to his chest. Steph gets the clear to leave, knowing she's in good hands now.

"Sorry." she mumbles for the thousandth time that day.

"You don't gotta apologize you didn't do nothin'." he says as he has every time. "You got handed the wrong drink. You didn't do anything wrong. It could've been a lot worse. For you or her both."

"I feel so bad." she murmurs against him.

"Go to sleep. Let's go to sleep and we can leave this fuckin' terrible night behind alright?" he says kissing her head, having her rest between his legs, his arms around her.

"'Kay." she whispers, her face nuzzling into the softness of his t-shirt, knowing that for now the worst for over.  
\-------  
"Eddie you can't just go out and eat people when someone goes wrong." Candy says exasperatedly with her hands out at her sides in defeat.

"After what they did to you? You don't wanna go out and get revenge?" he asks with a drawn face, leaning in close and speaking in a heavy accent as his anger showed through for the situation.

"I do! But I'm going to try to do an expose on it instead. I'm gonna talk to the network about it and see what I can do. I can do a lot more good that way than just eating some rich pricks."

"I wonder if they taste better or worse." Venom wonders out loud.

"You aren't helping." Candy frowns at the head that hangs above Eddie's shoulder.

"I am on Eddie's side. I want to hurt those who hurt you."

Candy sighs and shuts her eyes a moment, her shoulders slumping. "Listen. I'm trying to go about this the smart way, okay? I'm still worried about people seeing you. In that part of town, there are cameras everywhere. We... all three of us have to be smart about this. We can't go out like a bunch of damn cowboys, guns a blazin' and shoot up the bad guys." she says with a whine.

"But what they tried to do to you..." Eddie says again, his voice breaking with emotion, shaking his head back and forth, turning to pace the floor again.

"I know, babe, I know." she says, moving forward with a huff, turning him back towards her and putting her hands on his face. "But I'm okay. And I'm gonna do something about it alright? Just because we aren't doing something right this minute, doesn't mean we're just letting them get away with it."

He lets out an aggravated exhale.

"I know," she says again slower. "I'm mad too. But we can't act recklessly. We have too much to lose. Right? I don't want to lose you, we don't want to lose Venom. That's what'll happen if you're found out. So let's take it slow, alright? Let me see if there's something I can do first." she says with a pleading tone.

"Kay." he agrees, his lips tight.

"Thank you. I can't lose you boys. We have to stay together. That means making decisions that don't make all of us happy." she stroke his stubble covered cheeks with her thumbs, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss. "I've got chocolate and beer and food. I can keep you boys distracted tonight. Tomorrow it's back to work and we can go from there alright?"

"Alright." he mumbles.

She mushes his cheeks, pooching out his lips as she smiles up at him. "Thank you." she kisses him again. "Now let's go get some junk food into you."  
\-------  
After a thoughtful and heartfelt pitch for an investigative piece on the dangers of drink spiking in the tech community, Candy felt good about the possibilities of shining a light on the particular problem in her city. She waited patiently through the day, all signs from her producer pointing to there not being a problem with doing the piece, as there hadn't been any before.

As Candy washes her hands, checking her hair in the mirror before she leaves work for the day, doing a final touch up to go home to Eddie, her producer walks into the bathroom, her eyes landing on Candy immediately.

"I got word on the piece you wanted to know about." she says, her body language not giving Candy much hope as she walked towards her, her hip against the sink counter as her face stayed indifferent.

"Yeah?" Candy responds with a furrowed brow, crossing her arms over her chest, ready to put up a wall of disappointment.

"The executives don't wanna do it." she says slowly, her head subtly shaking back and forth.

"Okay?" Candy says, taking a big inhale and exhale, processing the defeat.

"Yeah." the other woman drags out the word, her eyes moving away from Candy's.

"Did they give any reason?" Candy asks with a motion out of her hand.

"They said it would be too graphic."

Candy lets out a loud half mad laugh. "Too graphic?" she pauses, her chin and neck now moving with attitude at the asinine excuse. "On a show where we report murder, sexual assault and violence every week? Too graphic?" she says, leaning forward, her arms back over her chest as her eyes were wide, shaking her head back and forth, her mouth open in astonishment.

"That's the reason they gave." she says with an apologetic smile frown and a sigh. "But..." she begins, then bending over to see if anyone else was in the bathroom that could overhear. She lowers her voice to a whisper, leaning in closer. "I was outside their office while they were discussing it." she says with her eyes shifted up to meet Candy's. "And the truth is that they have donors that are in the tech scene in town. So they didn't want you causing a scene and getting any of them caught up in it."

"Because any of them that have enough money to donate to a network in their interests are probably pieces of shit too." Candy says with a knowing nod, her face fallen but her mind still racing behind her eyes.

"Yeah I know." she says with the same sad smile, patting Candy's arm. "I'm really sorry about what happened to you. I wish we could do something but..." she shrugs and points upwards.

"Yeah." Candy nods and straightens her posture back out. "Yeah, I know. Thanks. I'm not mad at you just... the whole sitution."

"You filed a report and everything though right?"

"Yeah, when we went to the hospital." she says while her eyes move across the busily tiled floor.

"Maybe something will come of it."

"Even if it does they'll buy their way out like they always do." she shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Sorry, I know you're trying to be helpful I'm just... pissed." she says with a broad gesture of both her hands.

"I get it. You headed home now?" she asks, pushing herself away from the counter.

"Yeah. At least I got Eddie to take my aggression out on." she gives a half-hearted laugh.

"Lucky man." she smiles and says before leaving Candy alone.

She lets out a loud and angry sigh, her hands resting on the wet and speckled countertop, her hair hanging over her face. "Shit." she whispers out. "UGH!" she lets out from her gut, face towards the ceiling. "Such BULLSHIT!" she lets out loudly, her hands pushing her hair out of her face and kicking a garbage bin nearby.

\----------

Every movement is followed through with a punctuation of anger. Her feet hit the ground heavier, she slams the car door to get some form of satisfaction as she gets in the car to head home.

"Something is wrong." Venom says, his previously blobby and lax head sitting next to Eddie's on his shoulder as they watched tv to wait for their girlfriend to come home.

"Huh?" Eddie grunts, his posture straightening as he snaps out of the daze he'd fallen into while staring at the television but thinking about something else.

"Candy." he states, as he moves to face the doorway.

As soon as the door shuts with a heavy and hard bang, Eddie's eyes go a bit wide and he catches on to what Venom is bringing his attention to. She stomps into the archway between the living room and the hallway, her worn ballet flats angry against the fake hardwood floors.

She takes a deep breath, her shoulders squared and fists balled at her sides before looking back and forth between the curious sets of eyes that looked her way. "We'll do it your way." she says, her eyes moving to the floor in failure.

"Do what?" Eddie asks, his mouth hanging ajar slightly.

"The tech guys. Let's just...fuckin kill them." she says with her hands thrown into the air in an outburst of all the negative emotions pent up inside her.

"Woah. Wait, why?" he says, body now engaged and rising from the couch as his brow furrows in question.

"I tried doing it the "right" way." she says with a response filled with attitude and annoyance, her fingers doing air quotes. "And they shut me down. So..." she sighs and shakes her head, her shoulders slumping.

"They won't do the story?" he asks, his voice cracking in his turn of high pitch. He moves towards his girlfriend cautiously as if she really might hurt him, even though he knew she never would.

"They have money invested in the network. I was told it was too graphic of an issue to cover, but that's just a lie to cover up that they don't want their little free reign interrupted."

"Ah." Eddie nods slowly.

"But you would not let us eat them previously." Venom's voice is full of questions.

"I know that. I was trying to not jump straight to murder, you know?" she says with a slack jaw and delivery full of bitterness. "If I could've had the bigger platform I could've..." she stops mid-sentence and sighs. "Doesn't matter now." she shakes her head as if she were swinging the thoughts directly out her mind. "They want to try to hide behind their money. I want them to know their money can't save them." her face is held in almost wide-eyed innocence, full of vengeful intent with a good reason behind it.

"Eat the rich." Venom says, raising up like he was moving to his haunches, now a more fully embodied head and neck over Eddie's body.

"Where'd you learn that?" she asks, clearly impressed.

"We were learning about capitalism." Eddie says, his eyes wandering around the room in thought.

Candy would find an alien lifeform learning about the complex oppressive structures of governments on earth to be rather amusing if she hadn't felt so angry and betrayed. "I guess that means you know what a guillotine is then huh?" Eddie sees her eyes dark as they look past him to his symbiote.

"Yes. Viva La Revolucion!" Venom says with a large toothy smile.

"You want to be the guillotine for those assholes who tried to drug me?" she asks, looking directly at Venom. He begins to snake towards her and she steps closer to him, leaving Eddie to feel like a bystander in his own body.

"I do. I want to eat their heads separate from their bodies. I want to pile them up and see them, count them before we devour them for means beyond energy." Venom quivers with excitement as he sees nothing but approval in Candy's eyes. He and Eddie both have never seen her look so wild before. Venom loved it, but Eddie was hesitant. He knew she was angry, and rightfully so, as was he. But he found himself hesitant to bring her into his buried guilt with killing people. They did it to only those that deserved it but he wasn't sure how Candy would react once she got into the grit with them. The idea of killing someone is far different than actually doing it.

"And I want to be there when you do it." she says with eyes that beam fearless and bold into Venom's large opalescent ones. He breathes loudly, mouth opening and revealing his tongue, dripping with drool in his excitement much like a dog's.

"Let us do this for you Candy. Our sweet, previous Candy." he says, a tentacle-like appendage reaching out and caressing the side of her face tenderly. "We will kill anyone who dares to hurt you. We shall start with these men. You will be avenged." his thundering rumble of a voice is soothing as it vibrated across her skin.

Eddie felt the affection in Venom's words despite their dark promises. "We'll get 'em for ya babe. But are you sure you wanna be around for it?" Eddie asks, his hand reaching out and taking Candy's attention from Venom's looming face, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, I do. If we're going to be in this together, I want to be a part of this." her voice is softer now as she nods subtly, lacing her fingers through his as she stands toe to toe with him. "I want to know every dark and grimy part of the world as you see it. We're in this together. I'd kill for you two too you know." she says, her eyes still dark but her face set in a soft feminine expression that makes his heart thump in adoration for it. "Let's do this together, Eddie." she whispers, giving him an affirming nod.

He wets his lips, a series of small nods as his eyes move away from her for a moment before returning to her open and honest face. "Yeah. Together. For you." he says softly, lowering his chin to her before she leans up to confirm their plan with a kiss.


End file.
